Fate: Battle Royale
by Sayakan
Summary: Heaven's Feel has begun, but this time, heroes from other dimensions are appearing! As the unexpected Grail War begins, only one wish will be granted, and every battle will be one to the death.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Fate: Zero or any of the fandoms from which the characters in the story come from. This story was largely inspired by Fate: Zero Sense, which you should read. Now. **

Kotomine Kirei was a strange man.

At this moment, he stood hesitantly before a summoning circle, one hand extended. A curved design was on this hand, one that marked him as a master for the fourth holy grail war. There was nothing to think about- he could not refuse to summon a servant, but something held him back.

This _thing _was the question that had been plaguing him for a while. Why would the Grail choose one such as him to participate in a war for a wish-granting device?

_What a foolish question, _he mentally chided himself. _My purpose is not to have my wish granted, but merely for the Tosaka family to reach the Root._

Though he was still apprehensive, Kirei began to chant:

"_Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg._

_The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate. _

_Shut (fill.) Shut (fill.) Shut (fill.) Shut (fill.)_

_Repeat every five times. _

_Simply, shatter once filled. _

_-I announce._

_Your self is under me, my fate (doom) is in your sword. _

_In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer._

_Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead. I am the one who becomes all of the evils of the world."_

The moment the ritual was finished, Kirei threw his hands over his face as a blast of light appeared. It slowly cleared, revealing a dark figure.

"I ask of you…" The figure raised her head proudly. "Are you my master?"

"...yes. Yes, I am." So this was not the desired servant. This girl was young, though not very short. Her eyes were a light yellow, which contrasted with her long black hair. She wore a smoky black cloak over a revealing dress. The stomach was slit open, and the top had coattails that hung over her black pleated skirt. Her upper thighs were bare, but she had long black boots that covered a lot of skin. She had arm warmers beginning soon after her dresses' sleeves ended. In her hands were silver daggers.

_Yes. Definitely not who we wanted. _Kirei smiled and said:  
"My name is Kotomine Kirei. Are you Assassin?" The girl nodded silently, apparently not willing to disclose any more information. Well, at least he got a servant. And, after all, nothing else could go wrong. This was just a minor mishap.

Fate really likes to screw with people, doesn't it.

* * *

(One week later, in the Tosaka mansion…)  
Tokomi Tosaka was having a bad day.

Actually, he was having a bad week. Kotomine, his accomplice in the grail war, had somehow managed to summon the wrong servant. Besides that, his new servant was from another dimension.

At least she would be able to perform the function planned out for her.

Desperate to not have the same mistake happen to him, Tokomi double-checked the summoning circle and artifact. He would let nothing- _nothing!_\- go wrong.

Yet, despite that, the servant standing before him was most certainly not Gilgamesh.

Staring at the servant's silhouette as she emerged before him, Tokomi wondered what he could have ever done to deserve this.

First of all, the girl was young. Very young, even younger than Kotomine's servant. Her hair was red and frizzy, causing it to stick up all over the place. She wore simple white clothes, with the cuffs rolled up and the collar straight. Her biggest distinguishing feature was the hole where her left ear was.

_Even if this is not Gilgamesh, _realized Tokomi, _this girl is still a heroic spirit, and as such, worthy of the highest praise. _He performed a bow.

"Are you Archer?" He raised his eyes to see the girl grin.

"Yeah! I guess you're my master then." Archer seemed overly friendly, which could be dangerous. At least she had not immediately given away her name.

Tokomi stood up and raised his hand. Archer took note of the command seals and nodded. The two were silent for a moment, as Tokomi had no idea what to say.

"I'm looking forward to a successful collaboration!…" The girl extended her hand, and Tokomi followed suit. "...master."

* * *

(At the same time, in a hotel room...)  
Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi stood in front of the summoning circle drawn on the ground, fiercely scowling. Nobody could blame him, really. His original relic had been stolen, and now his new relic had summoned the wrong hero.

"Are you my master?" The boy in the circle seemed to be around seventeen years old. He had glasses that obscured his eyes and an odd haircut. Two pillars of dark hair stuck up while the rest of the hair was shaved off. In his hands was a golden spear with a lightning bolt at the end.

"..." Kayneth chose to show his command seals instead, rather than talk. After all, this boy was only a tool, a means to an end. However, he did have one question. Trying to gain back his pride, he swallowed some self-pity. "Answer me, Lancer, where is Diarmiud?"

"I guess I'm not who you expected," said Lancer, chuckling while Kayneth fumed.

"Of course you're not!" Kayneth glared at the servant. "I hope for your sake that you have some power, _Lancer."_ He spun and walked off, anger burning in his eyes. How could everything have gone so wrong? He had messed up his one chance for the Holy Grail!

Lancer watched his Master stomp off.

"...well," he said mournfully, "that went badly."

* * *

(In the Mato lair…)

"What a disappointment." Kariya gritted his teeth as the head of the Mato family loomed over him. "I suppose I couldn't really have expected anything from you, of all people. Is this really the servant you managed to summon?" As the old man cackled, Kariya turned back to his servant.

To be fair, she did not seem very powerful. She even had crutches which she seemed to heavily rely on. Also, she seemed very young, only about fourteen years old.

She had long black hair and wore a simple school uniform. Her eyes were a turquoise color which Kariya thought went quite nicely with her outfit.

"Are you my master?" Kariya answered with the whole of his being. This girl was his only chance to save Sakura. No matter what Berserker looked like, she should be a valuable asset.

"Yes. The contract is sealed." The girl nodded, the expression on her face deadly serious. This was their only shot to have a wish granted, one that they truly believed in with all their hearts. This is a hero and a savior- two souls united by a desire.

* * *

(Somewhere else within Fuyuki city…)

Strangely enough, things had only gone well for Waver Velvet. Currently, he stood before Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia.

The man was a lumbering giant, with a mass of red hair and a large cape. He grinned cheerfully at his master.

"So, master, take me to our strategy room!"  
"We don't have a strategy room!"

"Do you have maps, by any chance!"  
"Why are you yelling!"

Things might have gone his way, but Waver was in anything but a good mood.

"Excuse me?" A troubled young woman with brown hair looked up from reading her book. She was sitting on a bench facing the two. "I'm into couple therapy, and you two seem like you need help." The woman brought a hand to her chest and said in a determined manner:  
"Give me a call, and I can help you!" The woman ran away, dropping a business card.

"...wow." Waver turned back to his servant, frowning. "I didn't think we were _that _bad."

* * *

(In the Eizbern mansion…)

Kitsuguru Emiya, Magus Killer, Master in the Holy Grail War, and representative for the Eizberns, stood tall before a summoning circle. The sense of prana was circulating in the air, a side effect of the summoning about to happen.

"Iri." Irisviel snapped to attention. "Give me Avalon." The woman wordlessly placed the relic within the circle. Preparations ready, Kiritsugu began his chant.

"_Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg._

_The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate. _

_Shut (fill.) Shut (fill.) Shut (fill.) Shut (fill.)_

_Repeat every five times. _

_Simply, shatter once filled. _

_-I announce._

_Your self is under me, my fate (doom) is in your sword. _

_In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer._

_Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead. I am the one who becomes all of the evils of the world."_

A boy walked slowly out of the circle. He had his black hair in a ponytail and wore a yellow jacket over his baggy white pants.

"Are you my master?" Kiritsugu knew this was not Arthur Pendragon. Actually, he didn't know, but he _really _hoped this wasn't King Arthur. The only thing historians could have gotten as wrong would be King Arthur really being a woman!

* * *

_Somewhere far, far away, in another time…_

A blonde woman sneezed onto her royal banquet.

"Are you okay, King?" asked the woman's right-hand knight.

"Yes. How odd…"

* * *

(Back with Kiritsugu and Irisviel…)  
"Yes." Despite this boy not being the intended servant, it was quite obvious that he was Saber.

"Good!" The boy's expression became ravenous. "Now, do you have any food?"

"Um…" said Irisviel nervously. "Come he-" Saber bounded after the homunculus enthusiastically, leaving Kiritsugu shaking his head worriedly.

"Just what is going on with this war?"

**And there you have it! The first chapter of Fate: Battle Royale. Props to anyone who guesses the true identities of the servants. Here's a hint for Assassin:**

_**Spin-offs are the best.**_

**Hopefully, see you next time… if anyone is reading this.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Fate: Zero or any of the fandoms from which the characters in the story come from. This story was largely inspired by Fate: Zero Sense, which you should read. Now. **

**To address the reviews (which I am very, very grateful for):**

** Gashadokuro Amanojaku**

**I will explain why there are different servants in this Holy Grail War, but though hints will be dropped, the biggest part will be told during the dream sequence. It has to do with Puella Magi Madoka Magica, though. The reason for Rider being the only normal hero summoned is related to that. The first chapter was a bit short, so I'm attempting to expand the storyline here, though it's difficult when Caster just has gotten summoned. In terms of servants, your guesses for Lancer and Berserker are correct. The girl with Iskander is a servant mentioned in the first lines. I didn't really expect anyone to find out who Archer, Assassin, or Caster are.**

** DarkBeast42**

**Your guess about Saber is also correct.**

** guestreviewer**

**I have no idea why most stories are about Fate/Zero and not Fate/Acropycha, but I would assume one reason would be having to create new masters (unless, of course, the masters are the same as from the Fate/Acropycha light novel.) Also, Fate/Zero is possibly more popular, though I may merely be speculating about this. My reasons were simply that I don't know enough manga/anime to do that.**

**Author's Note: I planned to upload Lancer's skill sheet at the end, but my computer gave up on me and deleted it, so I will probably add it next chapter. I will probably update frequently, as this is my break, so be prepared for another chapter.**

(At the Tosaka mansion…)

Tokomi was certain that his servant was a idiot.

Who else would go outside, with a mana trace on her, and ask a master for directions? (Though at least the master had been Kotomine, so no harm was done.)

Who else would disguise herself and approach Rider in public? (No harm had been done here either, as she had not been identified as a servant. However, something bad could have happened. Tokomi was also ashamed to say he had been amused by their reactions.)

If Archer was not an idiot, then she was a genius, and she was messing with his head on purpose. And if Archer was a genius, the world was screwed.

"Master?" Archer's voice interrupted him from his musings. "Are you okay?" Tokomi gritted his teeth. Damn that girl and her power to sound like his daughter! It was difficult to use what was essentialy a child soldier, no matter her heroic deeds, and even more so when she acted like his children- child. After all, Sakura was no longer his daughter. She was safe and sound with the Mato's. "Do you need something?" Pulling himself together, Tokomi met his servant's eyes and replied.

"I am alright, Archer, though thank you. Would you not like to talk with Assassin?" Perhaps because Assassin was only a bit older than Archer, or maybe because Assassin reminded Archer of one of her friends, the two were close. Either way, it would be welcome if Archer left his side, no matter for what reason.

"What's our plan?" Archer ignored her Master's suggestion, and instead brightly smiled at him. Tokomi was considering using a command spell.

_(I order thee to leave me in peace, Archer!)_

No, that was a bad idea, even if it did made Tokomi chuckle. The only option he really had was to tell Archer their plans, ad hope she left shortly after.

"When Caster is summoned," Tokomi told his servant, "we will fake Assassin's death. You will 'kill' her after she attempts to assassinate me."

'Why not make her attack now?" Archer looked over Tokomi's shoulder at his desk. "If Kirei really betrayed you, it would make more sense for him to attack now and break another rule."

"True," admitted Tokomi. "Do you suggest we change the plan?" Perhaps Archer was not an idiot after all.

"Also," added Archer, "Let's not make it a wipeout. It's better that others think I am weak rather than strong, right? The enemy underestimating you could help more than overestimating you." Tokomi nodded, realizing that his servant was right. He made a few marks on the plan, which he would inform Kotomine about. Kotomine's servant could withstand almost any attack, after all.

"Thank you for your input, Archer. Now, could you tell Kotomine about the changes to the plan?" The red haired girl nodded and ran off.

Archer weaved through the crowd without any problem, due to her small figure. Though she could always turn into spirit form, this method was preferred by the servant, and Tokomi made no objection. She wore earmuffs to hide the hole on the left side of her head, but otherwise, she looked normal.

A sense of prana overwhelmed Archer, and she noticed a man with his sweater zipped up and his hood covering the face.

_Kariya Mato. _

Archer wished she didn't have to kill him, but she had no choice. His wish would be one she would be happy with granting, however, she had a wish too.

The servant abandoned her task and began following the Master, talking loudly to make sure he heard her.

"I already know what I'm going to wish for when Tokomi and I win the Grail war! I bet no other servant can match my power!" Sure, it might have been a bit over-the-top, but what other way was better to grab Kariya's attention and make him notice her? (Also, of course, this idiotic action would make him underestimate her and influence his views.)

She noticed how, when Kariya entered a crowd, he exited with the addition of a black haired girl wearing a simple school uniform. This girl must be Berserker.

"I'm so glad I was summoned!" Archer continued talking loudly as Berserker and Kariya cautiously watched her. "Well, I should turn into spirit form. I don't want to drain too much from Tokomi!" That was a dead giveaway to her servant hood.

She was safe, after all, since Caster had not yet been summoned, and Kariya probably didn't have enouh mana to waste on this attack. The Holy Grail war had not yet officially started, and an attack would break the rules. Archer spun around, headed for Kotomine. It wouldn't do any good to linger around Kariya and Berserker, despite the above reasons.

* * *

Berserker returned to spirit form and hovered next to her master. Kariya grimly walked forward, worry written all over his face.

_Master._ Kariya looked up, his face morphing into a gentle smile when he realized who was talking. _Don't worry about Archer. She can't attack us._

Kariya slightly nodded, and Berserker noticed that he seemed more relieved. She, too, smiled now.

_I'm more worried about her exclamations of power. I'm not underestimating you, but your attacks will be limited anyway, due to the crest worms._

_True, _admitted Berserker. _Still, there's no use brooding. Let's find a place to stay. _

Using Berserker's high charisma, they managed to get a hotel room for not too much money. As the pair walked upstairs, Kariya reflected on his servant.

The most important event in his memory was Berserker's interactions with Sakura.

"_Miss?" Berserker turned to see the young Sakura staring at her as the girl clutched herself. Berserker smiled gently, seeing the girl._

"_Call me Sumi." Kariya was unsure whether this was a fake name, but it was nice, seeing the two speak._

"_Miss. Sumi… Please don't let Uncle Kariya die." Sakura looked downcast for a second, but looked up again. "Please." Sumi(?) smiled and hugged the girl._

"_Don't worry. I will protect him, and together, we'll save you." Sumi(?) hugged tighter. "I promise."_

In Kariya's mind, to act cruelly towards Sakura would be the greatest crime committed. However, Berserker had acted kindly and had comforted the purple haired girl. He knew not what other indication he needed in order to trust Berserker.

Berserker, on the other hand, trusted Kariya. She knew his wish, and fully supported it. A young girl should not live in such depravity. She also had a wish she wanted granting, but this one took priority.

"So that was Archer, huh?" Kariya laid down in the room's bed, exhausted. "She was… odd."

"Yes. I am not sure if she's an idiot, or very, very clever."

"What do you mean?" Kariya couldn't see how such actions made Archer clever.

"This could be a ruse, after all. Archer's actions could be purposeful, and merely a ruse.

"True," acknowledged Kariya. Berserker entered the kitchen.

"It looks as though there is some food," called out the girl as she scanned the cupboards. "I can make a snack, if you would like." Kariya began to weigh the pros and cons of such an action, before realizing this was simply his servant's way of being kind.

"Yes, please," he replied and sat down at the table.

In the kitchen, Berserker began to bustle about.

"How unfortunate," Berserker muttered as she worked. "Looks like I won't see you again after all. Of course, what's really ironic is how I'm Berserker. I would think someone else would take that role." Berserker paused for a second in the middle of chopping carrots. "Of course, I was the only one from my world chosen by the Devil..."

"Berserker? Are you okay?"

"Sorry, master!" Berserker turned towards the stove, only to see that the kettle of tea she had started was whistling loudly.

_Wow, I spent a lot of time talking to myself._

The servant entered the main room again, carrying a cup of tea and snacks. Kariya gratefully accepted the food, and the two sat opposite each other, eating in silence.

"So, Berserker, what was your past like? I've never heard of a sane Berserker either."

"Well…" Berserker stared at her plate. "I guess I'll just say that I'm a Hero."

"A Hero?" To Kariya, that word had no significance, especially since all of the servants were heroic spirits.

"We protected our world. I have absolutely no regrets!"

"I see." Kariya softly smiled. "Then, together, I hope we can help Sakura." Berserker smiled too.

"I'll give it my all, master."

* * *

(With Waver and Rider...)

Waver picked at his McDonald's burger glumly. This was for two reasons. First of all, he hated McDonalds. The second reason had to do with the man sitting in front of him.

The summoning had gone well, of course. However, Waver had been expecting a serious, dedicated man. At the very least, he expected something different than _this._

"Ha ha ha!" Waver gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to facepalm. "Why so glum, master?"

_At least he recognizes that I'm the master. _Waver sighed. _Who am I kidding? We both know who the master is here._

"This burger is really good! This invention of ketchup is wonderful!"

_Breathe in, Waver. In and out. In and out._

"Ha ha ha! Try your burger, Waver! Man really has progressed!"

In the end, Waver was at fault for getting the two kicked out.

"Let us go back to our base, boy!" Waver gritted his teeth and wondered, once again, how he got stuck with such a servant.

Waver silently led the way, thinking about last night. His servant had shown him a taste of his power, which was definitely amazing. Waver was fairly certain no servant could match up to his.

"Rider," he spoke up, "shouldn't we prepare for the war?"

"In what way, boy?"

_Please don't call me boy. _Instead of that, Waver said:

"Finding out the identities of other servants, maybe?" Rider laughed and hit Waver on the back.

"No need to take such underhanded strategies! We will face the other servants proudly!"

"Ow," muttered Waver, but he thought about what Rider had said.

"All right," he conceded. "Either way, Caster has not yet been summoned. All I really know is that Kayneth is a master, and the Mato, Eizbern, and Tosaka family has a representative. Besides that, we have no idea of what to expect."

"Then we will charge into this battle together!" Rider roared and turned to his master. Despite his frustration, Waver couldn't help but smile.

_He said we, not I. Maybe he believes that I'm not useless…?_

* * *

Kayneth could find no real fault with his servant. Lancer was well behaved, kind, and strong. To be fair, he found no records of who this mysterious boy was, but that was mostly fine, albeit a bit worrying.

The only thing he _did _mind was Lancer's weapon.

_One day, when Lancer was sitting around (there seemed to be nothing else to do, since he was awful at spying, and Caster had not yet been summoned) his lance began to talk._

_"Lancer." Lancer answered quite normally, as though there was nothing odd about this:_

_"Yes?"_

_"How long do you plan to sit around doing nothing?" Lancer grinned._

_"You are right! Now is the time for the lighting king to shine!" After that, the lance had sighed, and transformed into a boy. The boy wore a visor to cover his eyes, and his hair was tied up in a spiky ponytail._

_"Nice to meet you. I'm Lancer's weapon."_

_"Umm…" Sola-Ui's eyes shifted between Lancer and his weapon. "How-"_

_"Just how long did you plan on keeping this a secret!" Kayneth glared at the two. "This is very important!" The weapon shrugged. At least Lancer had the decency to be a bit bashful._

_"Sorry, master. We promise we're not hiding anything else." The weapon nodded. "No more secrets from us, okay?"_

_"So, what should we call you?" Sola-Ui seemed to have decided to settle on looking at the handsome weapon, who didn't reply with a smile, but didn't complain either._

_"You can call me Lance."_

'Lance' was an unknown, and Kayneth didn't like not being in control.

"Damnit," he muttered. "I just can't seem to find any records of these two!" Sola-Ui came up behind him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I can't find a record of someone named Ox anywhere. It's almost as though he doesn't exist in this universe."

* * *

(In a random house…)

"Fill, fill, fill 'er up. Repeat… four times…" Uryuu Ryuunosuke splattered blood on the floor in the shape of a weird symbol. Apparently, it was used for summoning demons. He would do it over and over again, until something happened! He would definitely do that.

Actually, he would summon multiple demons if it worked! That would be most fun.

"Wait, was it four or five? Destroy each when it's filled…" Ryuunosuke looked at the circle in confusion for a moment, then looked back at the book. "Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill… yes! Okay, it's five."

The television was on, and the newscast blared through the room:

"_In other news, there has been a string of murders recently. The murders have all been families whom were murdered in their own homes. It's purpose remains unclear at the moment. A renowned professor of criminal psychology has appeared to speak-"_

"Well, maybe I did have a little too much fun…" Ryuunosuke switched off the television and turned to the son of his most recent victims. The little boy was bound and gagged, and tear stains ran down his cheeks. The boy frantically wriggled his body, but to know avail.

"Hey, kid, do you think demons actually exist?" Ryuunosuke slowly began to walk towards the frightened child. "I mean, the media keeps calling me one, but don't you think that would be rude to do that if demons actually did exist?"

Ryuunosuke crouched next to the boy, grinning. "Yo! The name's Ryuunosuke Uryuu, and I'm a demon! But I'm not sure that's the proper way to go about it…" He waved the book in the boy's face. "But look at this! Apparently, my ancestors were trying to summon demons! But how boring would it be if I summoned it and just chatted! So that's why I'm going to ask…" Ryuunosuke leaned in closer to the boy, smiling.

"Would you mind if I let it eat you?"

"MMRRRRPPPPHHH!" The boy's muffled yell echoed through the room. Ryuunosuke laughed as he watched the boy squirmed.

"I wonder what it's like, getting killed by a demon. I bet it would be pretty cool!" All of a sudden, three marks burned themselves onto his hand. Ryuunosuke grimaced and turned towards the summoning circle, which was letting out smoke.

A young girl with billowing lilac hair and pink slit eyes. She wore a long sleeved white dress and white stocking. Blood gushed out of her pupils onto her cheeks.

"Are you my master?" She said this disdainfully, as though Ryuunosuke wasn't worth her time.

"Well, yeah." Ryuunosuke found his voice. "I'm currently unemployed, and-"

"I have no need to hear the ideas of a human." The girl- Caster- held out a hand. Ryuunosuke twisted and turned before becoming a sperm which joined into Caster.

Next, she turned to the screaming and crying boy. She repeated the technique on him. She still would benefit from the mana of Ryuunosuke, but she still planned to collect as many humans in order to eventually use her Noble Phantasm.

Within her soul, she heard the last cries of Ryuunosuke Uryuu, now a part of her;

_That was so cool..._

* * *

Kirei Kotomine stood before his father, Assassin hidden within the shadows. Archer had come by recently and detailed the changes to the plan, and Kirei had drilled his servant on the revised idea.

"Caster has been summoned." Kirei nodded.

"Does that mean we will now begin the plan?"

"Yes. I trust Assassin knows what to do?"

"Do not worry." The brunette girl appeared. "Your orders have been to eliminate your mentor. I am perfectly capable of remembering that." Unsure of whether that was a poor attempt at humor or simply her way of relaying facts, Kirei turned back to his father.

"It is time to set the plan in motion. Go forth, Assassin." The girl was there for a brief second, then disappeared into the shadows.

The servant appeared again in front of the Tosaka manor. She ducked and dodged through the security when an arrow pierced her back.

A red haired girl with green eyes appeared on top of the building. In her hands was a bow. Archer had changed her clothes from a white uniform to black long pants and shirt. Over that she had a white coat. On her neck, the number '63194' was prominent.

Assassin disappeared into the shadows once again, and popped up behind Archer. The latter servant turned and shot an arrow point blank into Assassin's eye, piercing the brain.

The normal procedure following the death of a servant happened; the brunette faded into smoke, and Archer watched triumphantly. However, something unusual happened. However, the occurrence was so slight it was likely nobody would notice.

The yellow gem on Assassin's sleeve stayed behind, glittering in the light. As Archer left the scene, she scooped up the gem in one quick motion, hiding it from view.

* * *

The Holy Grail War has officially begun. Who will be the victors, and who will be crushed?


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Fate/Zero or any of the other fandoms. This work was inspired by the fanfiction Fate: Zero Sense.**

**Addressing the much appreciated review:**

** Gashadokuro Amanojaku**

**The changes to Tokomi's plan don't mean much, as they were only there to show that Archer has good planning skills (or at least, is smarter than she is given credit for.) In the manga/anime, this Caster's skills have not been fully shown, so the skill that she used was a simpler, less powerful version of her noble phantasm. Also, about not breaking the rules, I think Risei kind of over-stepped his boundaries a bit already... However, the plan to fight before Caster was summoned was not put into effect. Also, as a hint for Assassin's identity, she is a magical girl, too. **

(In some random place…)

Caster walked through the streets of Fuyuki, happily smiling. There was so much negative energy everywhere! The sins of humans shone through and provided her soul with mana. With this, she had no need for a master!

_Devil… you've been generous, haven't you,_ she thought. No other servant has this power, so could be easily taken out. Without a master, they were good as dead. Of course, since the Grail wasn't her true goal, there was no use to fight them yet, unless they were in her way! She still needed to use this mana to unleash her noble phantasm, after all. Humanity had not yet faced her forgiveness.

She didn't know much about the other servants, however, she must be much more powerful than them. After all, the Devil herself had chosen her! They were only humans!

Somewhere at the back of her mind, Caster remembered the magical girls who dared to challenge her- those who stayed alive even at the very end. The bond of love that girl had with her sister was annoying, but in the end, more than enough negative energy had been provided by them to compensate.

_I won't fail this time! Winds will shake the world and humanity will come back to me~!_

* * *

(In a hotel room…)

"H." Lancer's weapon looked up, annoyed.

"We said we weren't going to call each other O. and H." 'Lance's' gaze was concealed by his visor, but the expression he made was most likely an exasperated one.

"Okay, then what should we call each other?" Lancer looked at his weapon expectantly.

"Aren't you supposed to be the genius?" 'Lance' turned back to his book and once again blocked out Lancer.

"Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine," muttered Lancer. "Okay then, Lance, shouldn't we prepare for our big fight or something like that?"

"You're the one who will be fighting. I'm just the noble phantasm." Lancer sighed dramatically.

"We have to do our best to win this, Lance! If we don't, our friends will be killed!"

"Do you want to know what I'm thinking about?" 'Lance' put down his book and turned to face the other boy. "I don't trust that girl who sent us here. You saw her soul, right? What was it like?"

"Um… well, it was purple," said Lancer, scratching his head in embarrassment. "It looked like a crown too. And, well…"

"Yes?"

"It was huge. And tainted. The soul wasn't like anything I've seen before." Lancer envisioned their mysterious saviour. From her glossy black hair to her violet eyes, she was an enigma- her soul even more so. Now, if she was on their side or not; that was something that could still be learned.

"See?" 'Lance's' glare seemed to pierce through his visor at his partner. "If you told me that… Anyway, she also told us that we were the only ones she contacted."

"Yeah, but she said that the other servants would be weak. How could she know that?" Lancer stared at 'Lance,' a new light in his eyes.

"Well, actually, she could know that anyway," said 'Lance,' causing Lancer to deflate a bit. "However, you commented on the souls of Rider and Archer when they met. Remember? We spied on them when they saw each other."

"Yes, I saw that Rider's soul was powerful, but human. It wasn't similar to our world's, but everyone here has it. However, Archer's was… it was almost as though she was from a different universe. Not ours, and not this one. Oh!" Lancer's eyes widened. "You think she was also approached?"

"Yes." 'Lance' turned back to his book. "For now, we'll lay low. However, let's find out more about this mystery girl."

Kayneth entered the room, and 'Lance' turned into a weapon once again. The two awkwardly exited to the place where they would meet Saber for the first time.

* * *

(With Assassin and Kirei…)

"Lancer is sending out a signal. He wants a fight." Assassin appeared behind her master without any warning. Kirei made a mental note to himself not to stand with his back to any human sized shadows.

"Are you planning on challenging him?" he asked sarcastically. Assassin shook her head silently.

"I will be watching over their battle. If we are lucky, one of them will be eliminated." Kirei silently prayed that Lancer, not Saber, would be killed.

"Go. Just make sure you're not seen." Assassin vanished once again, the yellow gem on her sleeve becoming a bit darker. Kirei watched the shadow into which she had disappeared into for a while.

_I really, really shouldn't stand near shadows,_ he thought.

"Hey, Assassin!" The brunette girl turned to see Archer waving her hand.

"Drop the act, cattle," muttered Assassin, scowling. "What do you want?" Archer at once became serious, a smile no longer on her face.

"Don't call me that, Assassin," she growled. Assassin's expression didn't waver.

"See you," she called out over her shoulder.

* * *

(Somewhere else…)

Irisviel and Saber walked through Fuyuki city together. The two were constantly distracted- Saber stopped at every food cart and begged the homunculus for food, and Irisviel wanted to see everything she could.

"Wow," she breathed. "This is where Kiritsugu grew up, huh?"

"They have really amazing food!" Saber took a bit into a Takoyaki, grinning as the delicious flavor made contact with his taste buds. "Do you want something?" Irisviel carefully selected a Korokke from the pile of food in Saber's arms.

"You're right!" she exclaimed. "The food here is really good."

The two made small talk as they walked.

"I don't think Kiritsugu likes me much," admitted Saber.

"He's just disappointed. He expected King Arthur. But I'm sure you'll be great too!"

"Yeah!" Saber pulled uncomfortably at his suit. "I don't see what was wrong with my clothes, though. This suit is really uncomfortable."

"Your clothes were… a bit…" Saber expectantly waited. "Oh look! A beach! Let's go!"

"More like a distraction," Saber muttered, but he followed Irisviel. The two walked along the shore, pushing and laughing with each other. It was probably the most fun Saber had in awhile.

All of a sudden, he stopped moving.

"What is it?" asked Irisviel, who currently stood in the shallow part of the water.

"An enemy servant. Come on." Saber picked up the homunculus and ran through the sand as quickly as possible. He jumped down to the ground, where Lancer was waiting for him.

"So you think you can defeat the LIGHTNING KING, huh?" Lancer pointed his spear at Saber threateningly. "I'll show you who you're dealing with!"

"..." Irisviel and Saber stared at Lancer, jaws agape. The brown haired boy nervously chuckled.

"So, anyway, you seem brave enough to battle! Currently, you're the only ones to show up."

"Very well." Saber dropped his foolish attitude and handed the food to the female homunculus next to him. In a flash, he was transformed into his battle attire. "I trust you will take care of this, Irisviel?"

"Yes!" squeaked out the woman. She had not yet seen this side of the servant, and such seriousness surprised her. Saber took one last look at the food wistfully before turning back to his opponent.

"No need to be hasty, Saber!" Saber and Irisviel stared at the enemy servant.

He was the one yelling…

"After all, Rider is above us, and I'm sure he would love to join in on our fight!"

Boom! A giant figure landed on the ground next to them. In his arms was the struggling Waver.

"Servant of the lance, you must indeed be perceptive to have noticed me!"

"Let me down!" River dropped Waver on the ground. "Anyway, what are we doing here?"

"I have an offer to make to you, Saber and Lancer!" Rider grinned at the two servants. "How would you like to give up on the Holy Grail War and join me as allies!"

"Well, I'm honoured," said Lancer, carefully choosing his words, "but I need to win the Grail." Saber nodded.

"Me too. Sorry, Rider."

"However, you might want to ask the servants watching us." Lancer continued to speak. Saber nodded in order to show that he agreed with this statement, causing Waver to stare at them as though they were mad.

"Hm." Caster appeared, her long hair waving in the wind. She had donned jeans and a t-shirt rather than the impractical dress she wore before. "Do you call me out, Lancer, Saber?"

"Caster!" boomed Rider. "How would you like to join my army?"

"A King like me stooping down to the likes of you? I think you underestimate me, Rider." Caster smiled slightly, though it was not a kind smile.

"You are too harsh, Caster." Berserker appeared as well, though she now was in one of her Hero outfits- a long, neon purple kimono like dress with accents of blue. "I, too, must decline your offer though, Rider. I have a mission to save someone."

"Oh ho ho? I am surprised, though- I thought your Master was more clever than to waste his mana by sending you here."

"I chose to come here by myself," said Berserker, smiling gently. "I hope Kariya is okay…"

"Hey!" Archer walked in casually. "Looks like all the servants are here now, or at least the living ones." Lancer regarded her suspiciously, trying to see if she told the truth. Archer just smiled innocently.

"I suppose you do not want to join my army either," sighed Rider. Archer shook her head proudly.

"But I'm really glad that you invited me," she added. "I wouldn't want to be the only one left who wasn't invited."

"Well, it appears negotiations have failed." Rider scooped up his reluctant master in his arms once again, and waved goodbye.

"My master also calls me back," apologized Lancer. "Goodbye, Saber, Archer, Berserker, other people."

"Hmph," said Caster, who vanished without another word.

"How rude," murmured Berserker. "However, I must say adieu as well. I look forward to fighting all of you." She, too vanished, leaving only Archer, Saber, and Irisviel.

"Goodbye, Saber and Saber's master!" said Archer cheerfully. She carefully took note of the brief flash of hesitation which flashed across Irisviel's face. She was certain Assassin also noticed this, but it was best to be certain. With that, the orange haired girl walked off.

"Hey." Archer stopped in a dark alley when she heard a female voice call out. The voice of Berserker. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the Tosaka mansion, of course!" said Archer, trying to keep a light and cheery tone. "Where else?"

"Did you think I would just let you go?" Berserker threw a punch, and Archer dodged, causing the wall behind her to shatter. "Hah…" Taking advantage of the servant's temporary distraction, Archer ran. If she could get far away enough, then she could retaliate.

_This is just like tag, huh?_ A smile came to Archer's face, and she dashed to the side, summoning a handbow._ Well then, I can't let you win, Berserker!_ She dashed to the side again, throwing Berserker off her trail. I need to get some height. The girl looked left and right, grinning at the sight of a tree. The two had run into a park, and this was just what Archer needed.

She scrambled up the tree and narrowed her eyes as she searched for a familiar flash of purple. Noticing bright color among the greenery, she took aim and fired.

The arrow bouncer right off it's target, sticking in a tree.

_'Berserker summoned a flame spirit of some sort to help her,'_ Assassin telepathically communicated. Archer's eyes traveled to the shadow on a tall building.

'_Help_!' she replied. Assassin shook her head.

_'I have to remain hidden, Archer.'_ The orange haired girl shook her head angrily.

_Focus,_ she thought. _Berserker's master will have to recall her- he can't take such a large mana loss. I just need to hold out. If I stay far away, I can do that._

Then, a bullet grazed her good ear.

"She uses guns!" cried out Archer. She hadn't considered this. There was no plan or help coming her way. Now, Archer couldn't maintain distance or stay near. She looked back at Assassin for help, but the servant shook her head again. Archer groaned and fired her hand bow again.

"Found you~!" Berseker popped up again nearby, grinning. She pointed the gun at Archer's forehead. "Time to die!" Archer glared, and readied her noble phantasm. There was no way she was going to die here!

"Vi-!" A figure pushed the two apart, stopping Archer's cry and causing Berserker's gun to fire into empty air.

"Hey, hey, no need to fight among yourselves! I will be destroying you, after all!" Caster grinned as she stood above them.

"Caster," muttered Berserker. "I will defeat you!" She raised her gun and shot the girl in a white dress. Caster dodged with a sigh.

"So you want to fight? Well, I only need to touch you to transform you into sperm! Looks like you're going to die." Caster raised her hand, and brought it down upon an annoyed Archer, who could do nothing but watch the power bear down on her.

"Leave." A brunette girl- Assassin- held a sword over Archer's head, blocking the blow. Berserker watched the exchange with shock, whereas Caster was merely amused.

"So you want to trade blows too?" Caster once again raised her hand. "Show me what you've got!" Archer scrambled away with one last look at Assassin.

"Let us fight together, Berserker, for now." The other girl nodded.

"Got it. Let's go!" The two rushed off into battle together.

Meanwhile, Archer had absolutely no intention of giving up without a fight. She had seen enough people die to be determined not to let the two be killed.

From a safe distance away, Archer raised her gun. Explosions rocked the ground, but she stayed still.

And… fire.

A green bullet flew into the dark night, and Archer could only hope her attack had worked. Then she ran.

Berserker emptied countless bullets into Caster, who just dodged, grinning. Assassin had transformed one of her daggers into a whip, which snaked around the servant and hit her. Yet evan with their combined efforts, none of their effects seemed to have any effect.

"Ke ke…" Caster looked up. "This isn't working… do you want to know why? It's because I have an EX luck ranking!"

"So high?" muttered Assassin. "That can't be it…"

"Well, you are right," admitted the girl. "My powers… are far greater than you expect."

"Watch out!" Berserker pushed Assassin to the ground as a green bullet flew over their heads. The moment it hit Caster, a net surrounded her.

"This is Archer's work." The struggling Caster was slowly destroying the net, and the two other servants raised their weapons. "Let's destroy her." Caster's pink eyes opened wide.

"Attack!" she yelled. A girl appeared from behind a tree. She seemed normal- she had brown, shoulder-length hair which turned red further on and wore a t-shirt over jeans. However, there was a strange symbol on her wrist and in her glowing eyes. She had a silver hook- an earring- dangling from one ear, and blood trickled out of that same ear.

"Caster gave me this power!" she yelled at the enemy servants. "She saved me… So you'll have to face me if you want to destroy her."

"What is this?" murmured Berserker. Assassin turned to see a fleeing Caster.

"We need to give chase," she said, yellow eyes tracking her opponent's moves. The two began to run after Caster, only for Berserker to be punched by the girl and fly back, knocked to the ground. The girl turned to Assassin next, fists up.

_What kind of person could do that to a servant? _she wondered.

"What is your name?" Assassin's grip on her whip tightened. This girl and Caster were no joke.

"Hotaru Ai!" said the girl proudly. "If you want to get to Caster, you'll have to kill me." Assassin sighed and raised her whip, which transformed into a spear.

"How annoying," she said. "I can't kill you, but we will question you and, if need be, resort to torture. It's bad for you and me. Just step aside, and I can hunt down Caster."

"No." Assassin noted that the hook symbol on Hotaru's wrist was almost completely faded. "Just try and fight me before throwing all those words around, huh?" Assassin vanished into the shadows before she was hit.

_That girl is strong,_ she noted. She might even be stronger than me, in terms of brute strength. _Both of us have low defensive power, though, so whoever lands a blow first wins._ Her eyes drifted to Berserker, who was just now getting up. Definitely a one-blow situation.

"Where are you?" cried out Hotaru. "I'm going to kill you- urk!" Assassin appeared from her shadow and grabbed the girl's neck. Hotaru punched Assassin in the stomach, but it was too late.

"You're powerless now, huh?" In Assassin's hand was the silver earring. "Now… tell us just who Caster and you are."

"So that was the source." Berserker came up and stared at the earring. "I wonder how it works."

"It gained energy by draining away your lifeforce," Assassin informed Hotaru. "Caster fooled you. She never was trying to help."

"Just how do you know that?" retorted Hotaru. Her face was red as she glared at her assailant. "Maybe you're trying to fool me."

"I happen to be experts in matters like these. Evan then, this magic is powerful. I almost messed up and attacked you head-on." Assassin tucked the earring away inside her dress. "Come with me, Ai. And Berserker, you can now report to your master that Assassin is alive. Just don't tell anybody else."

"Heh… heh…" More blood trickled out of Ai's ear. "I'm not coming with you that easily!" She began to run, only to find her arm trapped within Assassin's tight grip.

"Farewell," said the servant before the two disappeared. Berserker looked at the empty spot for a moment, before leaving for the hotel room.

_Kariya!_ Berserker gasped as she remembered her master. _I used up so much mana today… Please, let him be okay!_ She, too, left.

Because of this, no one noticed the coin and note Caster had left on the ground…

**As promised, here is Lancer's skill sheet and a (not expected) omake!**

**Servant Skill Sheet #1:**

Servant: Lancer

Master: Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi

Identity: Ox Ford

Series: Soul Eater

Sex: Male

Strength: B

Endurance: B

Agility: A

Mana: B

Luck: A++

Noble Phantasm(s): A+

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance: Grants protection against magical spells. This ability does not merely reject prana, but cancels the spell altogether.

E: Cannot cancel spells, but damage is reduced.

Personal Skills: 

Soul Perception: The ability to see the souls of others.

B: This ability is not very powerful or developed. However, it can be used to sense other servants.

Enhancement: The power to 'enhance' movements.

A+: Using his demon weapon, Ox can move at lightning fast speeds, and can enhance his reflexes as well.

Soul Resonance: The ability of two souls to resonate with each other, enhancing each other's powers. The higher the resonance rate, the higher the power. However, this technique takes time to activate.

A: The resonance rate of two souls is so high they might as well be a single being at this point.

Noble Phantasm:

Harvar D' Ecalir: Lighting Spear: B: (Anti-unit) Ox's demon weapon and partner in life. Upon usage of the skill 'soul resonance,' he can activate a higher level of power.

Lightning King Drill: B+: (Anti-unit) An advanced form of soul resonance. Activated after Ox charges his spear with lightning. He strikes in a manner similar to a lightning bolt.

Lightning King: B: (Anti-unit) An attack in which Ox stabs his opponent with the tip of his spear and electrifies them.

Lightning King Quake: A: (Anti-unit) A technique in which the spear is spun and pushed into the ground, sending electricity through the ground.

**Omake: Magical Girl**

Emika Kei wasn't supposed to be in the park, but she couldn't help herself. In the morning, when the sun was rising, everything was just so beautiful! Light shone through the leaves on trees, and a breeze caused her dark black hair to ripple.

She moved her wheelchair forward, avoiding rocks as best as she could. It was lucky for her that her parents slept in late- if they didn't, Emika wouldn't be enjoying this wonderful day.

She slowly moved towards the center of the park, where the trees were thickest. This was her secret place, a safe haven. When she lost the use of her legs two years ago, Emika had thought she would never be whole again. Her parents had taken her to the park after that in an attempt to make her happier.

That was when she met Itsuki, her best friend after the incident. Emika had been in a corner of the playground, feeling sorry for herself, when the black haired, brown eyed Itsuki had come up.

"Hey," he had said. "Are you alright?" Emika had nodded silently, holding back tears. She expected the boy to go away, but he had stubbornly stayed, sitting down next to her. "Do you want to play a game with me?" Emika nodded again, for a reason she herself did not know why. This small encounter had grown to a small friendship between the two, large enough for Itsuki to show his friend the grove.

"This place is where I go whenever I'm upset," he explained. "So don't hesitate to come here, okay?" He stuck out a thumb, and the picture was so ridiculous Emika just had to laugh.

Now, she wheeled herself there. Itsuki never got up this early, so he wouldn't be there, meaning Emika would have a moment to herself. These rare times were what she enjoyed most, though spending time with her dear friend was a close second.

"What happened here?" she murmured. "This is…" The grove was in ruins. One of the trees was in pieces on the ground, and there were deep gouges within the dirt. Heart hammering in her chest, Emika veered near a silver coin on the ground, tucked within a piece of paper.

"To use your stick, just (1) think about an object and (2) flip the coin. What does that mean?" Emika balled up the note and studied the coin.

An odd wing-shaped design was engraved in the center, something Emika had never seen before. After looking for it for a while, Emika decided to follow the instructions.

Eh… plastic rings, she thought. Plastic rings. She threw the coin up, only for it to split apart as it came down. Now, she had one coin and two plastic rings. What is this?

A gust of wind blew the note away and pushed Emika's hair out of her face.

"Could it be," she muttered, the ends of her hair pink and blood trickling from her nose. "Could it be magic?" She stared at the coin in her hand and the horseshoe symbol on her wrist. "It is. This is magic. Am I a magic user?" The note fell at her feet once again, revealing a back side. "Welcome to your new life! Just make sure to help me if need be. New magical girl, this is my gift to you." Emika lifted her head high, doubt in her glowing eyes. "No. I am a magical girl."

* * *

A new magical adventure begins.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Fate/Zero or any of the other fandoms. This work was inspired by the fanfiction Fate: Zero Sense.**

"Here." Assassin and Hotaru stood in an alley not far from the church. Assassin had just handed the latter a water bottle. Hotaru took it gratefully.

"Is it true?" she murmured. "Has this thing really been using up my lifespan?" She seemed to have deflated, and her hair and eyes were normal once again.

"I believe so." Assassin took out the hook. "This object radiates energy. However, you are the energy supplier, and the only way to get this energy is through the lifespan." Hotaru's bottom light began to tremble. In a feeble attempt to get the girl to feel better, the servant tore a strip from her dress and wrapped it around her bleeding ear. "Here."

"Thank you." Hotaru sniffled and put a hand up to her ear. Her hand came back red with blood.

"Tell me your connection to Caster." Assassin put away the hook and stared at Hotaru in the eyes. "Why did you fight for her?"

"So..." she began. " a month ago, my family and I moved here. I was actually super happy here- I made friends, and our new apartment was cool. Then, a bit later, it happened. We were all out in the beach late at night. That is, my mother, my father, and my older sister. It was really nice out. The weather was warm but there was a slight breeze. So when my sister and I were playing with a frisbee, the wind blew it away. "

"I'm not sure I follow," admitted Assassin.

"Well, after that, I had to go get the frisbee. Hakuno-"

"Hakuno?" interrupted Assassin, a glimpse of confusion in her yellow eyes. "Your sister?"

"Yes," said Hotaru, looking down at her lap and refusing to meet the servant's eyes. "Hanuko said since I couldn't catch it, I had to get it. So I went reluctantly. The frisbee kept blowing a bit away, and I was really frustrated. Then Caster picked it up. I asked for it back, and she gave me a warning. She said, 'Your family has been murdered while you were away. I can give you the power to avenge them.' I didn't believe her, of course, but asked that she follow me. She obliged, and sure enough, when I got back, my family were drowning in pools of their own blood." The bottle in Hotaru's hand crinkled, and water shot up, drenching her face, making the tears running down her face almost invisible. "Th-they were just dead." Her body shook from sobs, and Hotaru suddenly seemed very tiny.

"You accepted her offer," filled in Assassin. "You took the earring and punched the murderers, killing them. Then, Caster took you in with a promise to take care of you. You were so winded, there was no choice but to accept. She had given you something so great that you needed to pay her back, so you attacked us and saved her." Hotaru nodded, breaking into a fresh set of sobs. "You don't have very long to live, but I can take you somewhere to stay in the meantime. I may come back to ask further questions." Assassin extended an arm, and Hotaru gladly took it. Together, they made their way out of the alley, away from the church, and somewhere safe.

* * *

(In a different hotel room than Kayneth's…)

"Master Kariya!" Berserker rushed into the room where Kariya lay on the bed, wheezing and coughing out blood. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Did you get rid of Archer, at least?" Kariya's voice was much more raspy than before, and Berserker gritted her teeth. She didn't want to tell him the news while he was in this state, but it was better than lying and telling him later on.

"No. Caster interrupted our fight, and Assassin and I joined forces to fight her." Kariya smiled grimly, and it was evident he was badly affected by the news.

"So Assassin is alive. What were the servant's powers?" Berserker thought back to the three servants she thought with/against, and the servants she encountered.

"Lancer and Saber appear to have the ability to sense other servants. They knew I was watching them. Rider seems very friendly, but I'm not sure how good that is. Archer was quick, strong, and had good reflexes, but I used Shiranui to block her attack."

"That explains the prana drain, then," said Kariya, remembering his servant's power to block any attack through the use of her fairies. However, the prana drain meant most of the time, the impenetrable defense was not worth it.

"Assassin can teleport," continued Berserker, "and her daggers change into other weapons. At least, the one I saw became a whip and a sword."

"She sounds powerful," commented Kariya. "If she teamed up with another servant, we would probably lose." Berserker was extremely powerful, owning a total of three noble phantasms (though, most likely, do to the prana drain of two of them, she would never get to use them all.) However, the other servants were probably also powerful, to the degree that a team of two could bring down the (possibly) strongest class, Berserker. "And what of Caster?"

"Caster has EX rank luck, and dodged everything we threw at her. She also appeared to have manufactured a magical item which drains away the life force in exchange for super-human powers which could take down a servant." Kariya gasped.

"If she created an army of such creatures…" Berserker nodded.

"She would be unstoppable. That is why we need to stop her." Kariya nodded in agreement. He briefly imagined Sakura coming across such a cursed object, but pushed the image out of his mind. Zouken would never let such a thing happen to the girl. He needed her, and such an object would kill her. "I suggest we-"

"Wait." Kariya stopped his servant. "The war's judge is making an announcement." Berserker's eyes widened ever so slightly. For a few seconds, the room was completely silent as Kariya watched through the eyes of a familiar. Eventually, he came back to himself, a small, grim smile gracing his lips.

"Kotomine Risei has ordered a cease-fire until Caster has been killed. The master and servant pair will be given an extra command seal." The moment Kariya had finished speaking, Berserker began.

"I assume it is because of her cursed objects." Berserker met her master's eyes. "Let us pair up with another master and servant to defeat Caster!"

"I would like to ally myself either way," admitted Kariya. "We cannot join up with Archer's, Assassin's, or, to some extent, Saber's master. That leaves only Rider and Lancer."

"I suggest Rider," said Berserker, thinking about the red haired giant. "He seems powerful and friendly enough. Together, we have a real chance." Kariya nodded in agreement.

"Do you know where they are staying?" Berserker grinned, and Kariya felt a shiver run up his back.

"Well, I don't know, but I know who does…"

* * *

Lancer _knew _it was a bad idea to check out a hotel room under Kayneth's true name. If they hadn't, he wouldn't be face to face with Berserker and a reluctant Kariya.

"Lancer!" she yelled.

"Y-yes?" he asked, definitely _not _shaking.

"We need your help in locating Rider. We will return you once we are done!"

"This is such a bad idea," moaned Kariya to no one in particular.

'Lance' chose this moment to walk in, further confusing everyone.

It took at least another half an hour to organize everyone, and Kayneth still hadn't come back. Therefore, Lancer accepted helping Kariya and Berserker locate Rider. Or rather, Berserker held a gun to his head and said if he didn't come, his brains would no longer be in his head. Laner couldn't exactly turn down an offer like that.

Anyway, Lancer hoped this whole business would wrap up soon. Berserker was unnerving, and this whole situation was just odd. After all, why ask another servant for help in the allying of themself with another servant.

"Thank you!" said Berserker when the three arrived at a small house in which Rider and Waver were staying. "Would you like to ally with us as well?" Lancer considered a polite way to say no which Berserker would _not _kill him for.

"I think… I hear Lance," he said weakly, backing away. Berserker sighed, and turned to the door.

"Idiot," she muttered, before knocking down the door. Kariya pulled up the hood of his sweater in order to hide his face, which should surely scare any humans living there.

"Berserker!" boomed Rider, who had came to the door with Waver. "Have you rethought my offer?" Berserker chose to ignore this comment and added her own offer:

"Let's ally up to take down Caster!" Waver gaped, staring at the servant of madness as though she was, well, crazy.

"Taking down Caster is good for both of us," explained Kariya. "If we join together, this task will be much easier." RIder turned to Waver.

"What do you think, master?" Waver's expression turned surprised, and he raised his hands in defense.

"Eh? You're asking me?" Rider laughed and hit Waver on the back.

"Of course!" Waver smiled. Rider was asking _him _for the decision? "I may make small choices by myself, but you should make the big choices like this!" Waver looked at Kariya and Berserker. He didn't exactly trust them, but they both had a common goal. The best choice, and the most sensible choice, would be to accept the offer.

"All right, let's become allies," said Waver, holding out a hand. Kariya took it, his face still obscured by the hood. "You probably should stay here overnight to strategize, though. Next morning, we'll set out." Berserker and Kariya nodded in agreement, and followed Waver inside.

"These are my new friends," Waver told the Mackenzies, who nodded and beckoned the two inside. "This is, um…"  
"Sumi," said Berserker to Waver under her breath.

"Sumi, and this is Kariya, her older brother." Waver sighed in relief as Martha Mackenzie took Sumi by the hand and led her within whilst talking to her about such and such matters.

"Hello," said Kariya, pulling his hood evan further over his face. He didn't want these kind old people to be frightened by his appearance.

"Don't cover your face," said Glen Mackenzie kindly, moving to pull down the hood. Kariya accidently lashed out, almost hitting Glen.

"Ah, Kariya was injured in an accident, so his face is disfigured. He really doesn't like people messing with his hood." Sumi, thankfully, had come back to rescue her master. Glen shrugged.

"Very well. I apologize, Kariya." Kariya gave what might have been a nod, though it was hard to say.

"Well," said Waver eventually, hoping to break the awkward silence, "should we go upstairs?" The other three nodded, and they ascended up the building.

* * *

Caster breathed heavily as she entered an apartment building, surprising the couple and their daughter who lived there. With a touch from her, the couple was collapsed on the ground, and the daughter was staring at their bodies.

"Leave," she ordered, and the daughter shrieked before running into her room and locking the door. Caster sat down and began to count her losses.

One- Berserker, Assassin, and possibly Archer knew her powers. This was not so bad, since they didn't know their full extent, after all.

Two- Hotaru was a lost cause. This, too, was not so bad. She still had given magical sticks to plenty of other girls, and she had already collected most of her negative energy anyway. Also, if Assassin decided not to kill the girl, Hotaru might run out of her lifespan and become an administrator for Caster.

Three- Assassin might know about the secret of the sticks. If she grilled Hotaru, the girl might have told her about the unfortunate situation she found herself in and her interactions with Caster. This was bad. Really, really bad.

And finally, four- All the servants were going to try and kill her. This was the worst thing of all. Caster would need to work very hard in order to continue with her plan as scheduled. She only had enough prana for a small-scale version of her noble phantasm. In order to purify at least Fuyuki city, she needed the entire lifespan of one more person.

She grinned and made her way to the room in which the girl had run to.

"What's your name~?" she asked sweetly. "I think we're going to be great friends…"

* * *

Saber paced back and forth, annoyed. Kiritsugu had refused to attack Caster, instead choosing to set up for an attack against the master of lancer! Did the girls Caster had killed not matter to him? Was he really so heartless?

The worst part was, Saber could not evan go out and hunt for Caster, as Kiritsugu still had three command seals! The situation seemed almost hopeless for him. At least he had faith that the other servants could dispose of Caster with relative ease.

He opened a simple notebook and grabbed a pencil. If he was cooped up here anyway, the best option would be to use the time wisely.

He drew a stick figure with two lines sticking out of his head and a line in his hands. In neat Xingese, he wrote:

'Lancer.' He then began to take notes on the side. 'Uses a lance with a humanoid soul.' He paused for a moment, then continued. 'Can also sense other people. Is not strong(?)' Apparently finishing with his listing of the servant attributes, he turned to another page, and drew another stick figure with short hair.

'Archer. Has a friendly personality. Pretended to kill Assassin in one blow. Is good at lying.' Once again, he turned to another page, and began to draw a larger stick figure with a cape when his pencil broke.

"Dammit," he muttered before standing up and picking up another pencil. He really didn't know much about the servants, did he?

This time, he wrote 'Rider,' and listed a few traits:

'Powerful, friendly, cheerful.' He paused, drawing circles on the paper as he mentally scanned anything he knew about the red headed servant. He flipped a page again, drawing yet another stick figure, and donning her Caster. As he knew virtually nothing about the servant, and as she was going to die soon, he wrote only three words- 'lucky' and 'see Hotaru Ai.'

Then, there was Berserker. Judging from her fight with Archer, and then the one with Caster shortly after, she could block most attacks using the flame spirit she had summoned. Also, she appeared to be strong and fast, though she was taken out by a single punch from Hotaru Ai. Also, in a very un-Berserker like fashion, she used guns and was completely sane.

On the subject of Hotaru Ai, the girl was a conundrum. She had some relation to Caster, who had given her a magical artifact which drained the girl's lifespan. This magical artifact was, in fact, so powerful that a single punch was enhanced by it to the point one of the most powerful servants could be wiped out. Of course, Assassin might have been lying about the whole life-draining process.

Finally, there was Assassin. She must have some unknown power if she survived Archer's attack. Saber himself would have thought she was dead if not for two things: her soul had not been eradicated, and he had seen her fight alongside Berserker. She could also teleport herself and transform her daggers into weapons. Assassin was truly a worthy adversary.

Either way, all this planning would get him nowhere if he couldn't face another servant.

"Kiritsugu… I hope you know what you're doing…"

* * *

Archer stood before her master, smiling brightly. Her attitude was no longer the one she had earlier in the evening, but a cheerful, careless one.

"Assassin and I will attack Caster?" she slowly repeated, parroting the words of Tokomi. "I thought we were pretending Assassin is dead?"

"We were, but now Berserker, Caster, and potentially more servants know of her existence, due to her assistance." It was obvious from his tone of voice that Tokomi thought this was a foolish move on her part. Archer refrained from noting how she would have died if not for Assassin.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll go," said Archer with determination. "Such a crime on Caster's part cannot go unpunished!"

(Secretly, though, Tokomi was cheering on Assassin and Archer, not only because of the Grail, but because of Caster's heinous acts. When he saw one of her victims, he saw Rin, and he wished for the servant's death.)

* * *

Tomorrow morning, four servants would attack.

Caster grinned. That was plenty of time.

Next to her stood the daughter of the couple who she had purified. Her name was Emi Yatsuma, ironic considering the task before her.

"Now," whispered Caster to Emi, her face split with a devilish smile, "use your power." Emi stared at the bracelet on her wrist, decorated with a wing-shaped token. She raised her hand over her parent's dead bodies.

"Should I say the words?" asked Emi, referring to the script before her. Caster nodded and took a step back. The words were not necessary, of course, but it would help make sure her noble phantasm went smoothly. She could apply it now, so when the servants and their masters came to attack the next day, there would be no living soul in sight, excluding her pawns.

"_They removed me from my position of God. (Sie haben mich aus meiner position gottes entfernt.) I won't allow it to end like this. (Ich werde nicht zulassen, dass es so endet.)" _The arrow-shaped mark on Emi's wrist began to fade as her mother began to get up.

"_This is my story of revenge. (Dies ist meine geschichte von rache.)" _Caster picked up where Emi left off. Her eyes closed, then snapped open, revealing sperm-shaped objects seemingly attached to the pupil of the eye. "_Not only that, but a story of forgiveness. (__Nicht nur das, sondern eine geschichte der vergebung.) A Tempest. (Ein sturm.)" _Emi collapsed on the ground, blood leaking from her mouth. Caster examined the girl. The tips of her hair were a light blue, a stark contrast to her blonde hair. Her eyes were also strange, as they were glowing and concealed an arrow symbol. However, for Caster, this was standard. What was really important could be found on her wrist.

She flipped over her right hand, and saw only a sliver of the gold mark. Caster stood up, absorbing the girl's energy.

"If you don't get up, your father is going to stay dead," she commented. Emi managed to crawl over and place one bloody hand on her father's head. The man slowly looked up and locked eyes with his dying daughter, who began to turn into black smoke. Realizing the course of action, Emi shrieked and kicked out.

"No! I can't die here! I never wanted this to happen!" However, she soon had completely vanished. Now, a black and white figure with black braids and a black dress stood by Caster.

"Tempest has begun~! I wonder if the servants will get here in time, hm, Nana?"

**Servant Skill Sheet #2**

Servant: Caster

Master: None, formerly Ryuunosuke Uryuu

Identity: Rei, The King

Series: Magical Girl Site

Sex: Female(?)

Strength: C

Endurance: B

Agility: A

Mana: N/A (She gains mana from the negative energy of others.)

Luck: EX

Noble Phantasm(s): EX

Class Skills:

Item Construction- The skill to manufacture magical items

A+: Rei's ability is limited to creating magical sticks, which can be used by her to gather negative energy.

Magical Resistance- Grants protection against magical spells. This ability does not merely reject prana, but cancels the spell altogether.

D: Cancels single-action spells.

Territory Creation- The skill to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus.

B: Creation of a workshop becomes possible.

Personal Skills:

Magical Sticks- The ability to create the artifacts known as 'magical sticks.' When used, the user's lifespan is depleted and granted to Rei in the form of prana or 'negative energy.'

A+++: Rei can easily create such objects with little prana cost and reap the benefits.

Administrator- The ability to transform the user of the magical stick into a minion who keeps their magical power and are able to use it more easily.

B+: Rei is able to transform the young girl who uses her stick too many times into an administrator, who is brainwashed and forced to do Rei's bidding.

Noble Phantasm:

Tempest: EX: (Anti-army): A Noble Phantasm with the potential to destroy all of humanity. The range depends on how much prana Rei collects from her sticks. The ritual takes up too much prana to be provided by a single person. This ability allows her to turn humanity back into its original form, (sperm,) and create a new, perfect race with no sins, destroying old humanity in the process. Only those who are, in Rei's eyes, unworthy of purification, can withstand the attack and will be hunted down by her administrators. Any powerful magus or servant are also exempt.

**Omake**

Emika sat back in her chair as her mother, Akito Kei, pushed her along. Her father, Akifumi Kei, stood to the side, talking on the phone about something or other.

A bell jingled as Emika and Akito entered a small shop called 'Mystic Tokens and Charms.' The store owner, a portly, kind looking woman, came out and greeted Akito.

"Oh! Is this your daughter?" The woman beamed down at Emika, who shyly smiled back. She became very conscious of the coin in her pocket, which she had planned to ask the woman about. There was nobody better suited for the job, after all. "Why don't you check out one of the sections while your mom and I talk?"  
"Actually," put in Akito, "My daughter was the one who wanted to come here. She wanted you to see something she found." The coin seemed to burn through the cloth into Emika's skin, and she found herself opening her mouth and saying:  
"Actually, this is okay. It's probably nothing." The woman looked suspicious, and Akito sighed. She was obviously annoyed at having to wheel her daughter all the way there. Emika felt bad about that, but she couldn't change her mind now. "Sorry, mom."

"It's okay." Akito began to push Emika outside, waving goodbye to the woman, who scowled.

"No, I think I really want to see that object." The woman grinned and grabbed Akito's arm. "I have some tea boiling, and Emika can show me her object." Akito shrugged and began to re-enter the shop.

"How do you know my name?" hissed Emika. There was something awfully suspicious about all this… And Akito had never called her daughter Emika while they were there.

"Come in!" said the woman sweetly. Akito glared at her daughter.

"Don't be rude, Emika. I probably mentioned you once." She followed the woman to a small room. Emika's worst fears were confirmed when the woman locked the door and pocketed the key.

"Now, we wouldn't want anybody interrupting our little chat, would we, Emika? My name is Saiko." Saiko's eyes began to glow, and the symbol of a cross appeared there. The same symbol showed up on her wrist, and her hair tips became a dark green. Saiko changed her form from a kindly old woman to a young girl with red hair. She had a hairpin in the shape of wings in her hair, a bracelet with a wind charm on her wrist, and an anklet with wings as well. "Now hand over your object, Emika!"

"Like hell I would," she retorted. "What did you do to the owner of this establishment?"

"Oh, that old woman?" Saiko laughed. "I just locked her up in a storage room and set it on fire! The look on her face was hilarious! If you're a good girl, maybe I won't do that to Miss. Mommy, right? Or to you, huh? How's that for a two-in-one deal?" Saiko bent over, laughing. Emika took out her coin slowly, keeping it out of Saiko's line of vision. This girl was probably a magical girl as well, so letting her see the magic device could have disastrous consequences.

"Over my dead body!" she cried out and flipped the coin in the air. When it landed, Emika had a gun in one hand and the coin in the other. Emika looked at it, trying to figure out how it worked.

"Ke ke…" Saiko moved at light speed to Emika, their eyes meeting for an instant. Emika pushed her wheelchair back, dropping the heavy metal gun on the ground with a clatter. "I've collected so many of these you have no chance! Ever since they started appearing a few days ago, I took all of them! Almost nobody has any now." Saiko raised her hand and shot a blast of energy at Emika, who flipped the coin and created an impenetrable shield. The two objects met, and both exploded.

"If that hit me…" muttered Emika. An idea forming in her mind, she flipped the coin, thinking about a copy of the object within a noose. She sneakily plucked out the copy, and used the rope to lasso the energy ball sent at her. The noose exploded as well, singeing Emika's hands, but her objective was completed. She also, out of the corner of her eye, saw that Saiko's cross symbol on her wrist was almost completely gone. Emika thought that was your 'magic usage,' so if you used it all up, you had no more magic to use. Emika's was still almost full, thankfully. "Hey! Seiko!" The girl stopped for a minute, her waist-length hair waving slightly. "I'll give you it."

"Excellent!" she chortled. "Throw it here!" Emika did so, and the coin copy landed in the palm of Seiko's hand.

"Now, let us go." Emika could turn the police to Seiko, and meanwhile she and Akito would be safe. This was the best plan with the least risk. Seiko wouldn't be able to transform forever, since her magic would run out.

"Oh, you thought I would just let you go? No no, Emika. I thought you were cleverer than that!" Seiko took a club with wings on the handle from the ceiling of the shop. Emika noticed with a sinking feeling that Seiko was flying. This meant she could change form, shoot energy rays, fly, move at light speed, and… what?

Emika picked up the gun again. Her first plan was a fail. Actually, her second plan was a fail too. This plan would probably fail too, but it was the only plan.

Bang! The sound of the shot echoed throughout the room, and the protests from the room where Akito was kept grew louder. Emika was just glad she had figured out how to use the object.

"You!" Seiko's hand had been blown into pieces, causing Emika to shudder. If she didn't get the next shot, there would be no other chance. "You little piece of-!"

Bang! The next shot hit Seiko square in the chest, and she became silent. Just in case Seiko had healing magic, Emika rolled up and hit Seiko with the club over and over.

She never thought she would be grateful that there were curtains over the windows. If there weren't, Emika would look like a murderer!

Which she was.

Emika bent over, tears streaming down her cheeks. She only looked up when she smelled smoke.

The club was on fire. That was it's ability.

She could make up an excuse later. Right now, she and her mother needed to get out of here.

Emika grabbed the other magical items and the key to the room. Unlocking the door, she was greeted with a relieved Akito, who hugged her daughter nearby.

"Is that smoke?" asked Akito, worry in her eyes. Emika nodded and grabbed her mother. Without sparing a glimpse at the corpse on the ground, the two rushed out, Akito calling the police and screaming as loudly as possible that there was a fire. Emika quavered as she heard the smell of burning flesh.

A magical girl is given their power by justice, right? But we… we are killers! So why do we have this power, still! I think this is so, so wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

Waver's first clue that something was wrong was the electricity turning off.

Waver, Rider, Berserker, and Kariya were sitting in a diner. It was early morning, so there was barely anyone there. A small light shined onto their table, illuminating their faces.

Then it turned off.

It was so sudden Waver didn't have any time to prepare. One second, the light was on, and the next, there were no lights at all. Fortunately, the sun had risen, shining over Fuyuki city, but the sudden absence of light had surprised Waver.

Then there was a scream.

"OhGodOhGodOhGodStopThisStopStopPlease!" The waitress serving them began to tear at her dark hair, screaming as her body twisted and turned into sperm. "HelpHelpHelpYouCanHelpRight HelpNowStopThis!" The woman's shouts echoed in Waver's ears, and he was left staring at the empty spot, horrified.

Meanwhile, Berserker had been sensible. She had run outside, and she came back in with a pale face and downcast eyes.

"There's nobody left," she murmured. "This is Caster's handiwork, no doubt." Everybody seemed to agree, and it took no time at all for Rider to summon his chariot. Evan with four people on it, there was plenty of space. "I think she's nearby. Or rather, she feels like she's everywhere. I-" Berserker groaned in frustration, and she slouched.

"There." Waver pointed to the pyramid rising nearby, with Caster at the top, a white dot against the blue sky. "She's there." Rider steered his chariot in the given direction, coming to a stop before a white and black creature.

Too much was happening, and Waver was helpless before this unknown. Caster had harvested every one, and they had no time to prepare. Now, Rider crossed blades with this unknown assailant. With one hand, the creature reached through Rider's armor and tore out a hunk of flesh.

Rider's surprised look informed his master things were going very, very badly.

"Creature." In an odd twist of fate, Assassin was now before them. So they would die at the hands of a dead servant now, rather than this creature? What could be better? Waver gave out a dark chuckle, readying his prana. If Assassin though he would kneel over and die, she was wrong. "Prepare yourself." Assassin became a dark blur of light against the sky, and her blade was pointed right at the creature's heart. "To die."

* * *

(With Assassin, earlier…)

Today, Assassin and Archer would face Caster.

The brunette walked through an alley towards the home where she left Hotaru. She supposed she had a duty to check up on the girl, especially before this climactic fight. Assassin did hope the girl was alright, though she somehow doubted it. Caster had far greater powers than she revealed, and Hotaru was linked to the servant.

Assassin's suspicions were confirmed when the couple who were temporarily taking care of Hotaru came running up.

"Miss. Visconti!" gasped the woman. "Hotaru… she's not here anymore. I mean, we tried to make the poor girl welcome, but when we woke up, she was just missing. Her clothes were still there, but she wasn't there." Assassin paused for a second.

"Thank you. Take care. Watch your backs." Assassin walked off, clutching her fist. Caster had a plan, one which would affect many people. This was bad. Very bad.

Then all the lights turned off.

* * *

(With Caster, a bit earlier than that…)

Caster giggled. Her body was half hidden in shadow, and one of her eyes was hidden by a lock of lilac hair. She could feel everyone in her barrier, within Fuyuki city.

The magical girls.

Emika.

Seiko.

Hotaru.

Emi.

And so, so many more.

Now they were hers.

Nana.

San.

Shi.

And more.

There were the masters.

Tokomi.

Kirei.

Emiya.

Kayneth.

Kariya.

Waver.

They would survive, feebly clinging on from being purified. Their pitiful weakness was so tiny in the face of her Tempest.

Then, she knew the servants.

Assassin, the companion to Jeanne D' Arc and magical girl of shadows.

Berserker, Hero by two names and sacrifice to the Shinju.

Archer, cattle child who sought to reform her world alongside her genius friends.

Lancer, the genius meister with his cold, loyal weapon.

Saber, homunculus and human, a prince who sought to be emperor.

And Rider, the only one of this world, the powerful Alexander.

She knew the Devil had lied. She knew the girl's true name, her true motive. She could hear the brunette pitifully weeping and crying out her friend's name as the light in the pinkette's eyes faded. The two were ever locked in a dance, where the Goddess struggled to reach the surface for eternity.

No matter. She would deal with her later. For now…

She had a mission.

* * *

(Current time, with Assassin…)

The servant of shadows moved through the streets as quickly as her magic allowed her to. Kirei needed as much prana he could get to stay alive during Caster's attack. Assassin was going to have to rely on her own prana stocks for a while.

The yellow gem on her sleeve brightly glowed, illuminating the servant's face. Her hair flew in the wind, the same color as her cloak. As she searched the world for a sign of life, her yellow eyes met Nana's emotionless ones. Two masters and their servants faced the creature. The wisest decision would be to let them handle it; this way, she could meet up with Archer and destroy Caster on her own. However, the risk was less high if two servants joined them. Therefore, she turned a dagger into a sword.

She ran forward, stopping to shield Waver.

"Creature," she hissed, "Prepare yourself to die." She threw herself into the attack, pummel of her sword reaching out.

One hand reached through Assassin's clothes, throttling her and nearly throwing her to the ground. However, the servant ran Nana through, falling forward when she found no support. Two pieces lay on the ground, discarded and destroyed.

Before the eyes of the servants and masters, Nana began to take on a humanoid appearance. Her hair spread out and turned a light blonde. Her skin, too, changed color and became a light pale. Her eyes were also now a deep green, though they were un-seeing. From the coldness of her skin to the loss of light in her eyes, Emi was obviously dead. Of course, this could be expected as she had been sliced in half.

"Huh?" Berserker stood up and grabbed the body. "She's dead?"

"I would assume so," dryly replied Assassin. "Being cut in half tends to do that to you." She was ignored by everyone until they had finished examining the body.

"So, Assassin," said Rider, "are you on your way to kill Caster?" Assassin nodded and began to walk forward, yelling out:

"You can join me!"

"Jerk," muttered Berserker.

"Idiots," murmured Assassin.

* * *

_(In an unknown place…)_

_Caster knew about her, would kill her. She needed Rider to be killed, but this was too steep a price._

_"Stop!" she yelled. "Stop!" No one heard, and she sank to her knees in despair. Caster was outside, where she had been sent, and she was stuck in here._

_Assassin, Berserker, Archer, and Rider would not get there in time._

_Assassin, Berserker, and Archer would die._

_She needed a pawn._

_She had a pawn._

_Emika Kei woke up._

* * *

(Back with our protagonists…)

Archer lifted an eyebrow as Assassin briefed her on the situation. To be fair, even for Grail War standards- even for crazy, mixed up Grail War standards- her story sounded crazy.

Yet it was true. Caster was absorbing people by turning them into sperm, and they had no idea what to do.

"Destroy the base," suggested Kariya. For the last five minutes, he had been engaged in a glaring match with Tosaka, but finally spoke up. "Archer, you'll back up Berserker as she attempts to kill Caster."

"That," said Assassin, "was a reasonable plan." Kirei, the final human there, spoke up as well.

"As I assume Saber and his master will not be joining us, I have a different suggestion. Us magus will help by destroying the base, and the servants will attack Caster. To have a two on one is unfair since Caster is using the energy of all of Fuyuki city." While it appeared Kirei's suggestion had won, Archer suddenly spoke up.

"Wait! Lancer!" Everyone slowly realized there was another servant who they forgot.

"We will join with him if necessary. For now, let us fight." The tedious journey began, with Berserker jumping to and fro with Kariya in her arms, Rider using his chariot (which also was used by Tokomi, Waver, and Archer,) and Assassin using shadows for herself and Kirei.

Slowly, they progressed.

However, they didn't move quickly enough.

Two more administrators attacked, surrounding the chariot. Archer readied her gun, and Rider began to knock them down, but the creatures proved to be surprisingly adept at fighting.

"Go ahead!" yelled Tokomi. "Destroy Caster!" The remaining servants and masters complied, moving quicker than before.

They were still too late.

The sky turned grey as clouds drifted over the blue surface. A single beacon of light shined down on a happy Caster. The ritual known as Tempest was nearly complete.

"Let's go!" yelled Berserker, leaving behind her master and jumping into the air, her fist about to crash into Caster's face. Just as she was inches away, sperm wrapped around her wrists and ankles, suspending her. "What?" Berserker shuddered as her prana began to drain, causing Kariya to fall to the ground and cough up blood, his body shaking as the effects of the prana drain caused his crest worms to become active.

"Hm." Assassin surveyed the creation. "If I can't get near it…" The brunette servant suddenly became a blur of light, headed right towards Caster. Her hair and cloak wildly flapped as she touched the top.

One sperm-tentacle grabbed her ankle, pulling the servant down. A dagger-turned-sword quickly took care of that.

Berserker broke free with much effort and joined the servant of shadows. Readying her gun, she prepared to black the servant of magic away. A shield of sperm shielded the servant, and Berserker, along with Assassin, was knocked off the pyramid. They were greeted by a distressed Kirei, who had left behind Kariya, pronouncing him dead weight.

"The base is nigh invulnerable," he revealed. "We have to destroy Caster to destroy the base, but-"

"To destroy Caster, we must destroy the base," finished a glum Berserker. "What should we do?" The three remained in silence for a moment, before noticing a black haired girl walk up, her eyes an unexpected shade of violet. This was Emika Kei.

"Who are you?" asked Kirei roughly. Emika ignored him and transformed into a frilly black and purple outfit. The skirt was dark and covered by the tails of her shirt, which had a tie around the neck. Black leggings adorned her legs, stretching into black high-heels. On her arm was a clockwork shield, from which she drew a gun. In a flash, she was gone, leaving the three to wonder if the girl was a mere illusion.

Then, Caster kneeled over, a bullet in her head. Blood splattered on the ground as the servant fell hundreds of feet. Her hair rippled in the wind as bullets riddled her body. She was splayed on the ground like a feral animal when Kirei, Berserker, and Assassin peered at her.

"Damn you... Akemi. Who would have thought… that Emika girl was you?" With those last words, Caster's body dissolved into smoke, leaving the three amazed.

"That girl," murmured Assassin. "We need to find her." Not questioning her demands, the other two began to search among the Tempest's ruins. A pale body, belonging to the girl named Emika, was discovered by Berserker.

"Here!" the servant of madness yelled. The other two rushed over, and closely examined her. Her outfit was no longer the strange skirted one, but jeans and a tank top. Also, her eyes were unquestionably green. "I don't get it," she continued, lifting up the girl. "Just what was that?"

"It does not concern you," said Assassin in a standard mysterious voice. Berserker opened her mouth to disagree and say that yes, it did concern her since this girl killed Caster, but in the same instant the other servants arrived and Berserker turned to greet them. When she looked back, Assassin, Kirei, and Emika were gone.

"Where did they go?" muttered the girl. "Stupid prat…" She waited to see if Assassin would respond and swore when she didn't. "IDIOT!" she yelled and stormed off to find Kariya.

Fortunately, her master was in good shape. The masters and servants whom she had fought with looked out of place on this crowded street, filled with people unaware of the day's events. In Berserker's mind, Caster's defeat was rather anti-climatic. The servants didn't even destroy the evil sorceress! Some mysterious girl did.

"We should celebrate our victory!" exclaimed Rider. "Let all of us servants have a drinking party. I will invite others. Come, fellow servants!" He walked forward towards a private area where he could summon his chariot, but Archer stopped him.

"Maybe not a drinking party," she suggested. "At least four servants are under the legal drinking age, so…" She nervously chuckled, and Rider slowly nodded in agreement.

"True. Then Waver and I will pick you up. Be prepared!" He went ahead with summoning his chariot and vanishing into the bright blue sky, the clouds having vanished long ago.

"What redhead there didn't tell you was that the administrators turned normal," said Archer, dropping her voice to a raspy whisper. "There are some girls we need to take care of."

Berserker was happy to help.

She recognized girl #1 as Hotura Ai, the helper of Caster. Berserker was glad that Assassin appeared again, though this time Emika-less.

"Where is-" she began, only to be interrupted by the puella magi.

"It does not concern you," she said for the second time.

Berserker was seriously considering going for her throat.

"Anyway, I will take care of Hotaru. I have an idea which Hotura can help me with." The girl unsteadily got to her feet, hair blowing to one side so her eye was obscured.

"Thank you," she whispered, grabbing onto the arm of the brunette servant. The two disappeared, and Berserker and Archer groaned. There was still one more girl, this one with tousled red hair. Archer carefully laid her jacket over the naked form of the girl, who woke up, opening her blue eyes for the first time.

"Oh, hello." She glared at the two maliciously, smiling in a way reminiscent of Caster. "Heh. My name is Saiko, and I'm going to kill you!" She jumped up and punched Archer- or, at least, attempted to. The servant dodged and swept out Saiko's legs from underneath her.

"There has to be more of these girls," said a preoccupied Archer. "Berserker, could you…?"

"On it," the girl promptly replied. She didn't have long to run before coming upon Emi. "What do you know, Assassin was wrong."

"Where am I?" murmured the blonde. Berserker quickly took off her clothes and transformed into a different school uniform consisting of a black dress and puffy sleeves. She dressed Emi to the best of her ability and led her away.

Their conversation was brief but left a lasting impression on Emi's young mind.

"My name is Sumi," declared Berserker. "What is yours?"

"Emi Yatsuma," replied Emi shyly. "Miss. Sumi, what happened?" Sumi paused for a second before grabbing Emi by the shoulders, firmly holding her in place.

"Yatsuma. Listen to me. This day, something large happened. You will be one of the only ones who remember it. So remember this for me, okay? One day, this might happen again, and you will still be around to see a miracle. Possibly, there will be a miracle soon. Two words- Heaven's Feel- remember them. You have seen a miracle, Yatsuma." Then Berserker turned away, leaving Emi rooted in her place.

Emi saw something.

_(In another world, another time, Caster was different. Caster destroyed her, made her a sacrifice to his holy maiden.)_ Emi shook off the vision irritability. She had no time for such nonsense.

Sumi dropped Emi off with Kariya, hoping he could do something for her. Fortunately, Archer had already taken care of Saiko, leaving Berserker with an unknown pink haired girl.

"What's your name?" she asked. The pink haired girl hesitated.

"Which one? I have two, but one of them is lost." Mystified, Berserker reached out to the girl, who shied away. "But I have to tell you something. Save Madoka Kaname, Sumi. Homura Akemi is not your friend." In the same moment, the girl turned into pink dust.

"Akemi?" murmured Berserker. "Like what Caster said?"

* * *

(With Waver and Rider)

A girl lay in the dirt as Rider and Waver passed by. Another of Caster's victims, perhaps. Her hair was braided and tied with purple ribbons, while her red glasses lay some ways from her, the lenses shattered.

"Are you…" she stuttered. "Caster, what happened to her?" Waver and Rider exchanged a glance, and in one swoop the servant picked her up.

"What is your name?" he asked jovially. The girl trembled and slowly replied:

"Blaze."

"Well, Blaze," said Rider, "We're going to a nice place, where Caster won't bother you." Waver marveled at their interactions, and smiled when Blaze smiled. After abandoning the other servants, this was the least they could do.

* * *

_(In an unknown place…)_

_The barriers were breaking._

_She could feel the witch rise and fought hard to make it stop moving once more. Exhausted, she collapsed on the ground._

_Emi had seen the reality, and Assassin was doing her best to stop her puppeteering of Emika. This just wasn't fair! This was-_

**_Game. Set. Match._**

_-of course. She still could win, after all. If Blaze did not shirk her duties, this would be-_

**_Game. Set. Match._**

_-the noise was loud in her ears, and she felt that even if she screamed, no one would hear her over the deafening sound. But she would win, right? The prince always won, and the princess was saved. And-_

**_They lived happily ever after._**

_-in a castle, with food and knight and everything. She could make that. This was her-_

**_Wake up._**

_-and she would prevail like they always do. She could not-_

**_Wake up!_**

_-since she was supreme in this place. This was just a temporary-_

**_Gott is tot._**

_Cracks began to spread._

* * *

Saber rifled through papers, alarmed. This couldn't be true! The girl had promised to have his wish granted, and the reality was this?

"Kiritsugu wanted to summon King Arthur," he said slowly as a way to calm himself. "Kirei wanted to summon someone else, too. In fact, everyone except Velvet and Uryuu summoned who they wanted." This was an irregularity, but the stranger things were these articles he found. Saber scanned the page, his eyes looking for a detail which proved his theory wrong, but found nothing.

"Is Fuyuki City in Danger?" he read. "Today, a bug-eyed man was seen leading children away from their parents. When apprehended by police, he took their bullets and ran off, grabbing young Natalie Borghese, aged 5, and Emi Yatsuma, aged 11. The public has one question: are we safe? This man has separated families and killed countless others. With the police unable to defend us, will the common man have to take up arms to defend himself?" Saber set the paper down on the table with a bang. "This is… Just what have I been tricked into?"

"Hm." Saber turned around, eyes wide, to see black feathers litter the floor until he was drowning in them. He clutched at his throat and attempted to push the wall back, but to no avail. Saber's vision became dark, and his breathing became a mere wheeze.

When Saber got up, the setting was very different. He sat on a red bench while images floated by, their meaning unclear and fuzzy. Opposite him sat a black haired girl, her violet eyes cool and calm. Wings sprouted from her back, and she wore a revealing outfit that suited her title. She had on black leg warmers with grey stripes that nearly concealed her black high-heeled shoes. A black skirt connected to a leotard of sorts hugged her curves and was cut along the sides, though it tactfully avoided revealing her torso and instead opted for being as skin-tight as possible. Her black hair reached her own seat, which she perched on as she gave Saber a sadistic smile.

"Call me the Devil, Saber. I believe you wish to chat?" An image behind the Devil became clear all of a sudden- a picture of a creature with flowing black hair and head in the gallows. A blade prepared to cut its head off, and the executioner was none other than a pink haired goddess with golden eyes. The creature's own eyes were hidden by a ridiculously tacky red headdress, which matched its bony arms and body. One word was inscribed on the bottom of the image: Homulilly.

"Yes, I do, H-"

* * *

The sky is red. Despite his firm stance as a magus, Waver felt slightly shaken. He remembered the rhyme- red skies at dawn…- and felt nervous when confronting the new day.

Blaze stared at the sky happily. An explosion of color was all she saw, and one of her hands reached for a gun. Rider grabbed her and put the girl on his shoulder, and all Blaze saw was red.

There was a black feather in her palm.

* * *

Emika stared at the dawn and got dressed as quickly as possible. Her hairbrush refused to unravel the large knots in her damp hair, and she resorted to tying it in a bun quickly and messily.

There was a black feather on her head.

* * *

Kankri woke up on the street, feeling not-at-all refreshed. She was an amnesiac, or so she gathered from the descriptions of such people. Her last memory was that of a crying girl with brown hair turning red at the tips. A hook symbol was in her glowing eyes as they met Kankri's, and the girl had felt her heart go out to the stranger.

Kankri was certain this was not her real name, but it felt right in some odd way, almost as though someone had told her to use this name. It felt nice on her tongue, so she continued to call herself it.

A black feather fell down and landed in her lap.

* * *

**The first death of a servant in the Holy Grail war has proceeded. And who is this mysterious girl...?**

**Berserker: ****_(whisper) Homu-_**

**The ****mysterious**** girl has an offer for Saber. Will he accept? **

**Berserker: For now, accept this omake!**

* * *

**Omake**

Emika hurried to school, her uniform lopsided. When she entered the classroom, many classmates gawked at her walking. In fact, her teacher gawked as well. This was to be expected since she had been wheel-chair bound ever since she entered this school. To be walking on her own two feet again would be quite an accomplishment- except nobody knew how it happened.

Emika sat in the back of the class, gossipping with her friend Hotaru. Since both of their secret gaining of power had been revealed, the two had become not-quite-friends but something more than just classmates. It helped that Hotaru was nice and liked nature. Over the weekend following _that_ day, the two had gotten to know each other better.

"Late, Emika?" laughed the girl. The brunette mock scowled and lightly punched her friend in the shoulder. Emika slowly opened her math book, revealing a note.

'Saw object.' To anyone else, those two words were random, but Hotaru knew. However, she wisely held off on questions until lunch.

For the first time ever, Emika left the school with a friend(?) for lunch outside. Fortunately, Hotaru knew of a place nearby called 'Nana's Pizza.' She entered a pay phone booth and called Assassin while Emika ordered.

Ten minutes later, all three of them were sitting in a small booth. The seats were old and worn, with loose threads sticking out and revealing the cushioning. However, their pizza was very good, and Emika and Hotaru eagerly tore into it.

"The object, please." Assassin held out her hand, sighing at the two's antics, though a soft smile graced her lips. A black feather was handed to her, and she vanished. Unperturbed, Emika and Hotaru continued to eat.

"It no longer works." Emika took out her magic coin, which was now dull and nothing like the exciting object it was before. She threw it in the air only for it to drop down with a ding.

"Mine doesn't work either." Hotaru put on her hook and punched the wall, only for her to grab her fist as she learned why people don't punch brick walls with their bare fists. "I think that's okay, though. We can get by without magic." The two took a long path back to school, and Emika's shoes got soaked when she walked in the water. The sun's reflection shone on the surface, and it was as though jewels sparkled on the tip of each wave.

"You're right," said Emika suddenly. "So, Hotaru-" She leaned in and kissed the girl. "Could we have done that without magic?" The stunned student stayed in place for a second before smirking and kissing Emika back, taking the brunette by surprise now.

"No, but we'll get by. Together." The two smiled as they entered the school building.

"Late!" shrieked their teacher.

"...though I kind of wish we could use magic now."

The two were going to the funeral of Hotura's sister. Hakuno Kankri Ai, aged fifteen, was dead. As her body was not found, they were having a separate funeral process for her.

Emika had to resort to standing there, trying to look interested. Reading would be rude, and she did not yet know how to sleep while standing. Of course, when the flowers were being thrown in a pit, all Emika could see was darkness. Hotaru's blood red rose fell down, darkness claiming it just as quickly. For a second, there was a longing in Hotaru's eyes, before she turned to leave.

Hands seemed to clench at Emika's heart as she ran up to Hotaru. Her pale hand grabbed onto the girl's tense shoulder, and Hotaru finally turned around, their eyes meeting. Hotaru was at least half a head taller than Emika, but their eyes met easily.

And they kissed again.

For Hotaru, she was upset about loss, and hardship, and she just wanted to forget it all.

For Emika, she was tired of having her best friend, Itsuki, just there without a chance to reach out and possess him. She just wanted to claim her prize.

Two souls in despair make a symphony of sounds as they meet. The question of how or why is not important here. All that exists is the present, the electrifying spark which runs between the two, the hope they share. Something as fragile as this is not meant to last forever.

* * *

_End of Emika Kei Omake Arch._

_Beginning of Hotaru Ai Omake Arch._

"_Remember this and take it to heart: kindness sometimes leads to even greater tragedy."_

* * *

**And finally, here is Berserker's skill sheet!**

* * *

Servant: Berserker

Master: Kariya Mato

Identity: Mimori Togo/Sumi Washio

Series: Yuki Yuna is a Hero

Sex: Female

Strength: A++

Endurance: A+

Agility: B+++

Mana: B

Luck: C+

Noble Phantasm(s): EX

Class Skills:

Mad Enchantment- The class skill which raises basic parameters in exchange for hindering mental capacities.

C: Sumi's parameters are raised to A+, but her charisma goes down to B rank.

Personal Skills:

Blessing of the Faries- The ability to call upon fairies to help during battle.

EX: At a high prana cost, Sumi can summon up to four fairies to help her in battle. They can block any attack, no matter how powerful.

Personality Switch- The ability to transform into another person.

A: Because of her alternate self, Sumi can transform from being Sumi Washio to Mimori Togo. The switch causes her legs to temporarily stop working but gives her access to more weapons.

Petal Shield- The power to create a very durable shield from petals.

A++: Sumi's shield can handle entry into Earth's atmosphere while at high speeds.

Independent Action- An ability that allows movement even after the Master's magical energy supply has been cut off.

B: After the supply of prana is cut off, Sumi can still draw limited prana from the Shinju for some time.

Charisma- An ability consisting of a person's charm as well as their natural talent to lead.

C: Though she was not chosen as the leader of her team of heroes, Sumi possesses charismatic qualities and the ability to inspire people to keep fighting.

Military Tactics- Tactical knowledge used when many forces are deployed.

As a strict devotee to Japan, Sumi has learned about many tactics used in wars and has the intelligence to deploy them.

Noble Phantasm(s):

Jukai: EX: (Anti-army): A Noble Phantasm which traps specific people in a barrier created by the Shinju. When this barrier is created, vertexes are formed and begin their assault on the Shinju. Any attack on the Jukai will affect the real world, and if the vertexes reach the Shinju, the world is destroyed. However, the vertexes will first target the servants, and they will vanish if Sumi's master uses a command seal to force her into releasing Jukai.

Mankai: A++: An attack in which the user can create an 'ultimate attack,' capable of destroying a vertex within a few shots. Sumi creates a giant gunship that can shoot massive waves of firepower, capable of overpowering Yuki Yuna's mankai form, which can easily defeat the Scorpion vertex. When the mankai is destroyed, Sumi goes through sange, in which she loses the function of a body part.

Hero Form: EX: (Anti-unit): Sumi's power to transform into one of her Hero forms, either her form before the hero system upgrade, or her more armored form after the upgrade.


	6. (Omake)

**Because I didn't have much inspiration for writing, I wrote a drabble in which a Holy Grail War plays out, but all the servants are puella magi. Yes, it is stupid. No, I don't regret writing this.**

**Enjoy!**

The girl in the center of the summoning circle stares at Tokomi defiantly. Her hair is pink- a light pit that turns smoky at the ends, creating an unusual effect. White bows hold her hair in loose buns, which hold long ponytails that stretch to her petite waist. Golden eyes meet Tokomi's bright blue ones, and the master has to repress a shudder. He takes a step back, without taking his eyes off of her. It appears that this was not the intended servant.

"Are you my summoner?" she asks in a soft voice, fitting considering her looks.

"Yes," he replies, his answer barely audible. The girl walks forward, though it would probably be better to say that she glides. Her winged boots don't appear to touch the ground once as she exits the circle. Tokomi decides to, for once, take a leap of faith, and they shake hands. A contract is formed.

* * *

Assassin flips her elegant black hair, and Kirei suppresses a sigh. Every single time… The servant straightens out her plaid skirt nervously, and her black heels made a tapping noise on the ground.

Archer stands in front of her, stammering nervously.

"Um, Homura!" she cries out, and Kirei once again sighs at the _utter stupidity _of the servant to reveal Assassin's name. Evan if they knew each other previously, she was being an idiot! "Do your best, okay!" _Son of a-_

Assassin's eyes fill with hearts, and Archer readies her bow. Then, the _idiot brunette _pulls out a gun.

"I promise, Madoka!" she cries, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. Kiriei face-palms. The two engage in an epic battle, and Kirei's familiar is destroyed when Assassin creates a gigantic gun, which blows apart the scene.

_Idiot._

* * *

Saber stares passionately into Lancer's crimson eyes, who wildly blushes but tenderly raises a hand to brush the girl's cheek. There is a passion between them, and El-Melloi and Kirei couldn't care less.

"Sayaka," murmurs Lancer.

"Kyoko," murmurs Saber.

_(Get on with it!) _El-Melloi telepathically shrieks. Lancer proceeds to ignore him and strokes Saber's soft blue hair. The girl pulls on Lancer's silky ponytail, the color of blood, and it comes loose, spilling strands over her shoulders and her face.

Kirei knocked his gun and points it at El-Melloi. While he is distracted by Saber's seduction of Lancer (or perhaps something more,) Kirei would take out the blonde master.

Wait.

Maybe the cutlass 'accidentally' embeds itself in the wall behind him was a signal not to interrupt Saber and Lancer.

Yeah, he shouldn't have proposed this strategy.

* * *

Berserker yawned as she looked down at the two servants fighting(?)

"I should have been Saber," she grumbles. "Stupid Sayaka, romantic girl. Idiot." Kariya decides to ignore this comment for now as he was staring at Saber and Lancer fight(?)

"What are they doing?" he whispers, half-horrified, half-entranced, and Berserker grins.

"Aw, is little mister save Sakura frightened by some lust?" Berserker flashes her fang, the servant's short, tousled black hair waving in the wind.

"Look," Kariya mutters, unable to tear his eyes from the sight. Berserker looks down, about to roll her eyes, when she actually saw past Lancer's illusion. "That's not lust. No way is that lust."

"Yeah," gasps Berserker, for once in agreement with her master. "That… what are they doing?"

"I don't know," says Kariya in a low tone of voice, "but we should run. Now."

Berserker and Kariya didn't look back as they run away, their steps leaving clouds of dust behind them.

* * *

Caster brushes her long, pale blonde hair behind one ear as she smiles down at the child named Rin Tosaka.

"Hello," she says, slightly smiling as she extends one hand. "It looks like you dropped your ice cream."

"But I didn't drop my ice cream," the child insists. Caster knocks the ice cream cone out of the child's hand.

"It looks like you dropped your ice cream," she repeats. Rin begins to cry, but Caster merely smiles once more, praying the girl's mother won't come back. "Do you want a new ice cream?" Rin brightens up almost immediately and starts tugging on Caster's arm. Caster breathes a sigh of relief when Rin doesn't recognize her as a servant right away, though that might have been because she had masked her prana.

"Would you?" Caster almost feels bad. _Almost. _

"Of course! Just come with me, Rin." Caster firmly grabs the child's hand and prepares to march off, when Rin begins to talk.

"How do you know my name?"

In hindsight, picking up a small, crying child who's screaming about a servant abducting her and dragging her through the city probably wasn't the best idea. Bullets _hurt. _Oh, well. This girl will destroy Tokomi, Berserker will follow Caster through Hell, Assassin will follow Archer (though she might come for revenge first) and the two idiot lovers would probably throw themselves off a cliff or something.

What were they doing, anyway?

Caster soon learns why you shouldn't tempt fate.

* * *

Rider lands next to Saber and Lancer.

"Hello!" she cheerfully exclaims. "Why don't we…" her mouth gapes open as she realizes she _really, really _shouldn't be here, but by now it's too late.

"Transform, Kyoko!" yells Saber. "We must protect Nagisa's innocent mind while we still can!"

"Oh, hi," says Lancer absent-mindedly. "What are you- GAH! Nagisa, forget you saw any of this!"

"It's too late," laments the magical girl. "Cheese will never have the same flavor to me again." Sayaka and Kyoko exchange glances.

"Wait, cheese?"

"Yes, cheese!" yells Rider, waking up a passed-out Waver, who decides to faint again after seeing what was happening. "I love cheese! Goodbye!" The girl transforms into her witch form and took off, making Waver, who rid on her back, to whimper.

"Teenagers," says Lancer dismissively. "They get like that at this age."

* * *

Ruler opens her golden eyes to a new world. Her hair in twin drills bounces as she looks around.

"Oh," she says, and the words feel odd in her mouth, which is unused to speaking after she had been with the Law of Cycles for so long. The servant raises her weapon of choice, a type of rifle, and steps forward, a task of mind.

Only to see Fuyuki City is burning to the ground.

"This," she comments, "is why its a _really, really _bad idea to have a Grail War with only puella magi." Berserker runs past, engaged in battle with Saber, and nearby Caster and Lancer fight. Rider swoops down and bites into a random, poor human, who screams and dies, as humans do when their heads are bitten off. Archer cries, tears dripping from her eyes onto her dress, yet conveniently not staining it, as she directs her bow towards Assassin. Her arrow turns into a flame, and Assassin takes out her own bow. Yep. She just magics up a bow. This arrow also catches on fire.

"I can't let you sacrifice yourself," says Assassin in a low voice, her violet eyes confident and determined.

"I'm so sorry, Homura!" screams Archer, letting her string go. "I have to save everyone!" Then, both arrows meet and Fuyuki blows up.

"This," repeats Ruler, "is a bad idea."

Then Rider bit off her head.

**Rider- Nagisa**

**Assassin- Homura/Devil Homura**

**Archer- Ultimate Madoka**

**Caster- Oriko**

**Saber- Sayaka**

**Lancer- Kyoko**

**Ruler- Mami**

**Berserker- Kirika**

**I really have no idea what happened here. Hopefully, I'll get an actual chapter of Fate: Battle Royale up soon, but I'm getting through a wordy part, so it may take a while.**


	7. Chapter 7 (otherwise known as 6)

**I forgot to put the disclaimer in for the past few chapters, so here is an updated one:  
**

**I own nothing, not even my inspiration. Go to chapter one to see the full disclaimer.**

**-or I could take the easy way out. Enjoy the newest chapter.**

It was a few days after Caster's defeat, and Saber was still with the brunette. She sat on the benches, her clothes no longer as fancy as before. A simple school uniform now sufficed. The two glared at each other.

"I can grant your wish," said the girl is a soft, enchanting tone. Her violet eyes stared right into Saber's soul, making him freeze in place. "It's a simple matter for me to create a homunculus. After all, he was only a soul-"

"Shut up!" roared Saber. "You don't know a thing. He's more than that, and I won't take your offer! People can't be wished back to life." He said the last part quieter as if acknowledging a past sin.

"That is your decision." The peaceful, mind-numbing room transformed into a desolate wasteland. Black feathers littered the ground and the girl, now in her fancy outfit, was covered with them, so they blended into her hair. She raised a hand, and a purple light began to emerge. "And it is the wrong one. _Impetus!" _A string of golden letters wrapped around the orb as it reached Saber. Fortunately, the servant jumped out of the way just in time, though the ground where he had been standing on exploded, raining shrapnel on him. If he had been standing there, he…

_...would be dead, _he realized. _If this was her home turf, I would be dead already. _He swallowed when he realized this, but drew out his sword and called on his Noble Phantasm.

"ULTIMATE SHIELD!" he yelled. Metal plating began to cover his entire body, creating a nearly impenetrable shield. Now safe for the time being, he ran towards the girl, swinging his sword. His eyes, now red, tracked the girl's movements to a centimeter shift. Seizing an opening, he moved to cut off her head. The panicked girl raised her hand again.

"_Impetus!"_ she yelled, and an orb attacked Saber again. Shaking it off, the servant attacked, taking note of the girl's surprise.

_She must not have known what my skills would be when she picked me as Saber, _he realized. Saber grinned, realizing what an advantage he had. The girl was backed into a corner, and he raised his sword. As he brought it down, a purple orb got in his way, blocking his sight. When Saber could see again, the girl was gone.

"Where are-!" he began to yell, only to feel a hand on his neck.

"Bye, Saber," said the girl sweetly, and his shield vanished. Saber fell to the ground, and he could only watch in horror as she raised her hand. "_Impetus." _With no place to run, the only thing Saber could see was purple and gold. This would be how he would die.

"Idiot." A black shape appeared out of nowhere and scooped up Saber. The purple orb shattered on the girl's- Assassin's- body, and she continued to run at light speed, with the other girl close behind. "You won't win now, Devil." The Devil came up above, frowning, but Assassin put in one final burst, carrying the two out. The two arrived in Saber's previous location, a dusty study.

"I assume you have questions," stated Assassin calmly. Saber nodded.

"Just who is that girl?" The brunette grimly smiled, jumping out the window and beginning to walk. Saber followed, eager to hear the tale.

"Well…"

* * *

Assassin scanned the ground. Explaining the situation to Saber had taken up about an hour, and the servant still needed to find someone.

* * *

"_There are four versions of that girl," explained Assassin. "The first form is the fire, the naive version. Form two is the determined girl, one who is reliable. Form three is more similar to form one but can be classified as desperate in her determination. Finally, there is the one you saw."_

* * *

She knew where form two and four were, so the most important part right now was finding the location of one and three. Not locating them might give a weakness for _her _to exploit. All she knew was that one had red glasses and braids, while three looked a lot like two, but was more powerful and closer to _her._ Two might be troublesome if not for Hotaru, who was very helpful in Assassin's task, even if unintentionally so. Of course, if _she _gave two access to _her _powers, then Assassin would be in a lot of trouble. For that matter, only one might not pose too much of a threat. There was only one who could pose a real threat.

"I promised the magical girls to save her." Assassin jumped high in the air, a sword in hand. "I won't lose to you, devil."

* * *

Rider and Waver flew on high in his chariot, marveling at the view. Or rather, Waver was marveling at the view, while Rider was looking out for servants and masters. He came to a stop when a dark shape was noticeable below.

"Oh! Is that not Assassin?" he bellowed. The two came to a stop before the brunette.

"What are you doing?" the girl calmly asked. Rider grinned wide.

"Remember what I said," he explained. "A festive gathering of servants!"

"Idiots," muttered Assassin.

* * *

The restaurant which Rider had picked out was small and dingy, and all seven servants (plus one master) had to squeeze into a tight booth. It was quite obvious how the wallpaper was old and peeling but had once featured endless rows of roses. In the awkward silence which followed, everyone found themselves staring at it as all the servants avoided one another's eyes.

"...so," said Archer. "Is the food any good?" After that, there was a bustling of noise when everyone took out menus and began to order food. In the end, everyone had an odd dish in front of them.

"At least the service is good?" said Lancer, though it sounded more like a question than a statement. Assassin nodded, and there was another silence. "But… servants don't really need to eat." Another silence followed.

"Well, fellow servants!" started Rider, eager to begin a conversation, "What are your plans for your wishes?" Lancer began.

"I died before I could save my friends, and I want to go back and rescue them." Lancer briefly smiled before becoming serious. "That's why I must win the Grail!" Saber nodded in the servant's direction.

"I, too, have a similar wish. I suppose this means we must battle each other, Lancer." The servant of the spear nodded and turned to Berserker.

"So, Berserker, we all know you want to save the Mato heir, Sakura, but what wish would you make given the chance?" The servant hesitated before a small smile blossomed on her face.

"My very best friend was going to die when I left her. I want to save her, no matter the cost. Even if I have to die, I made a vow, and we promised to be together forever." Berserker looked at her hands and twiddled her thumbs. "Ah… I guess I got kind of emotional, huh?" She smiled at the other servants. "Sorry."

"It's okay," said Assassin, though she frowned slightly, the corners of her mouth tugging down. "As the host, why do you not tell us your wish, Rider," she continued. The servant laughed heartily.

"I suppose so, Assassin! I only wish to live again." Waver frowned.

"But I thought you wanted to conquer the world?" The only master present tilted his hand and began to poke at his food. "Also, what is this."

"I will not have some wish-granting device give me the world. I will do so on my own merit." Assassin hmmed and tilted her head disapprovingly. "So what is your wish, servant of shadows?"

"I wish to kill a nemesis," said the servant emotionlessly. "She killed me, and I wish to kill her." Rider sighed.

"What a foolish wish," he lamented. The other servants nodded as well, but Assassin simply smirked.

"Oh? Well, we might as well ask Archer her wish. So, Archer, enlighten us." The girl looked up, grinning.

"Well, I can't say _too _much without giving away my identity, but where I lived, all humans were being killed. I failed to protect my friends, so…" Archer looked off to the side, something glimmering within her bright green eyes. "...yeah."

"Well," said Assassin, her yellow eyes amused, "you really all are foolish."

"What are you talking about?" asked Saber, feigning ignorance.

"Hm." Assassin transformed her dagger into a sword. Lancer jumped out of the way as the sword entered his vision, but was too late. Droplets of blood fell upon the white tablecloth, permanently staining it. Lancer put a hand to the wound in his side, grimacing. His weapon coldly spoke before Lancer charged.

"So you're a backstabber," he said calmly. He fell silent again, and Lancer gripped him tightly.

"Lightning King Quake!" Assassin barely had time to get out of the way as lightning ran through the ground next to her. Despite this, her leg got caught, and she hissed angrily. "Lightning King Drill!" Assassin vanished into the shadows as the spear came down on the spot she was just at. When she reappeared, her leg was just fine. The servant gestured with her hand, and shadows held Lancer in place. Once again, she readied her sword and charged.

"No need to fight!" exclaimed Rider, but shadows bound him as well. However, Lancer had broken free and lifted his spear. Assassin collapsed as the weapon entered her body. She vanished into the shadows again, not to come back.

"Phew," said Lancer, as his weapon turned human. "What came over her?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Berserker, who had transformed into Togo Mimori, used the ropes on her outfit to stand. "You all are sitting ducks." With that, she took careful aim and fired at Lancer.

"Why me?" wailed the servant before raising his spear. Saber raised his own sword and attacked. Unfortunately, Berserker summoned her fairy, and Saber was unable to harm her. When Lancer lay on the floor, unable to defend, the servant of madness turned her attacks on Saber.

"ULTIMATE SHIELD!" he yelled, and metal covered his body until no human features were visible. All the bullets bounced off his skin, and he reached to Berserker. But one of her fairies cut him off, The servant was knocked across the room, but still grinned.

"Saber-" began Berserker, readying her weapon, but the other servant lifted a hand.

"Call me Greed," he chuckled as he attacked once more. Berserker took a step back, surprised, but her fairy continued to protect her.

"I WILL WIN!" she screamed, before shooting Saber point blank in the head. Stunned, the servant stood still for a moment, then got up. He raised his left hand, and a flash bomb appeared. Rider, who had been staying out of the encounter, got up to interfere, fiercely scowing. Waver's teeth chattered, and he hid behind his giant servant.

"Too late, old man!" taunted Saber/Greed as he threw the bomb at Berserker. Everything went white.

"You." Berserker got up, tracking Saber/Greed's movements. Her outfit now had sensors under the eyes, in order to let her 'see.' She raised her gun and shot at the servant.

A sword blocked it.

"Bye!" yelled Saber cheerfully, and escaped. Rider grumbled and picked up Lancer and Waver. They rode away, leaving behind a fuming servant, who turned to Archer, the only one left. The girl had her gun raised, and a net enveloped Berserker. When she pulled it off, Archer was gone.

"Damnit," muttered Berserker. Then, she too jumped away and escaped.

* * *

Rider and Waver soon came back to their temporary 'base of operation,' after disposing of Lancer. Waver had suggested killing off the servant, but Rider claimed that would be unchivalrous. They entered the house, heading to Waver's room. Rider read the way cheerfully, his red hair swaying in the slight breeze coming from the window.

_BANG! _A gunshot rang out through the halls, and Rider jerked around. The first thing he saw was Blaze, her violet eyes cold and focused.

"Girl!" he exclaimed cheerfully, reaching out. Then he saw the smoking gun in her hand, and his chest clenched painfully. His worst fear was confirmed when he saw Waver on the floor, a bullet in his brain. There was a puddle of some sticky red liquid around his head, and Blaze followed the servant's gaze.

"He never felt anything," she said coldly, as though she wasn't a murderer and those words would somehow make things better. Blaze raised her gun and reloaded it. Before she could fire, Rider punched her to the ground. He stood over her, his eyes filled with rage. "You won't have the satisfaction of killing me." As she said this, Blaze closed her eyes. "-because I can kill myself." A purple light covered her, and Blaze died.

In death, she looked resigned.

"Well done, Rider." Assassin appeared where Blaze had just been standing. "It _is _too bad Waver had to die, though." Rider relaxed when he saw Assassin didn't mean to harm him, but he kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"What do you want, servant of shadows?" The brunette casually stepped onto Blaze's corpse, her shoes digging into the pale flesh.

"Would you like to make a contract with me, King of Conquerers?" Rider let his hand leave the hilt of his sword. He was fading.

"If you are willing to go so far, tell me your name, Assassin," hissed the servant as he feebly clung onto his existence. He saw Assassin smile coldly, much like how Blaze might have smiled, and extend her hand.

"My name is Riz Viscotti. Will you contract with me?"

"Yes," muttered Rider, his crimson eyes closing to the sight of a triumphant Riz.

* * *

Emika sat down calmly in an empty classroom. She was glad for Assassin- the servant had helped her after the defeat of Caster, though Emika was certain she was keeping something hidden. Now, she was apparently under the care of Saber, Assassin's new ally.

As she thought this, Saber appeared before her in an empty seat. His black ponytail hung down his back, and Emika longed for Hotaru. Assassin had claimed another ally named Rider would take care of her, albeit discretely, since he needed to pretend to be dead. Meanwhile, the servant of Kiritsugu Emiya would watch over Emika, though he, too, would need to be discreet, as Kotomine Kirei and Kiritsugu Emiya were rivals.

"Saber," said Emika, nervously tucking her short black hair behind her ear. A few days ago, it had been cut, and she missed the covering over the nape of her neck. "Um…"

"Assassin needs you to do something." Saber seemed uneasy and bit his lip so hard it turned white in the area. "She says we're running out of time. So…"

"What?"

"You need to kill Berserker."

It really was a good plan. Assassin or Saber had no permission from their Masters, so without their allowance, they were out, and Rider needed to remain hidden, so he was out as well. However, Emika, who had recently discovered a new power, was the perfect candidate to go and kill the troublesome servant. Plus, Berserker had recently wasted a lot of prana, so she was significantly weakened. Really, it shouldn't come as a surprise.

"I'm ready," said Emika. "Let's go."

* * *

Berserker looked at Kariya with worry. He had collapsed and vomited blood, all because of the servant.

"...sorry," she muttered. Why had she been so stupid?

_Click. _Berserker spun, eyes wide and terrified, to see Emika stood behind her, a gun in hand. Her clothes were the same as the day she killed Caster, but she hadn't learned to stop time yet. The gun was black and glittered in the light, and was aimed right at Berserker.

"Damn it," hissed Berserker before pushing Kariya to the ground, on the floor. The bullet cracked the wall behind them. "So you want a gunfight? Let's do this." Berserker looked with worry at Kariya, then smiled. "All right. I can't do the other one, so, I can do this at least! MANKAI!"

The world flooded with light, and Berserker floated in the air on a magnificent gunship. Her green eyes glittered, and she was obviously smug about the whole ordeal, causing Emika to frown.

"Ha." She raised a bomb. "Let's fight, Berserker." She threw the bomb, which Berserker shot into pieces with her many guns. Then, the servant turned her sights on Emika. The brunette girl gulped and cursed her capacity for not thinking things through.

_Hey, Devil, you know how I'm a part of you, right? _The girl thought. _Now would be a really, really good time for a new power. _As a rainstorm of bullets came down on the girl, she began to glow purple. The gears in Emika's shield turned, and a purple gem, previously not there, appeared on her hand. Most importantly, everything stopped.

Emika thanked the Gods- or rather, the Devil- for this. She raised her gun and shot bullets at Berserker, which would attack her when time resumed. She also raised a bomb and nestled it in Berserker's mouth, somewhere unexpected, which would blow up and hopefully kill her. Then, Emika hid and turned her shield, restarting time. The only thing she saw next was an explosion. Berserker probably couldn't even scream, and Emika couldn't help but wince. If Berserker was dying, she must do so painfully.

When the explosion ended, Berserker lay on the ground, her body twisted unnaturally and her hair burned shorter than Emika's locks, but she was alive. One of her fairies hung over her and began to slowly move toward Emika. So she ran. She ran and didn't look back. Her mouth was dry, and there were black spots in her eyes, but she knew she would die if she stopped for even a second. Eventually, the fairy left, and Emika stopped near the place where Saber had left her. Her feet were sore, and she plopped down into the dry dirt. Saber appeared in front of her.

"Is Berserker dead?" he asked, worried about the girl. Emika shook her head.

"But," she gasped, "almost. The Devil-" Saber's face was grim, and he put up a hand to stop her.

"Homura," he said softly. "I know the full story now. The girl's name is Homura, and her story starts with another girl named Madoka."

* * *

_She had saved the other girl._

_It wasn't pleasant, of course. She had to limit her barrier more, so anywhere beyond the lake was now uncovered. She really was thankful for the Shinju's power, the only thing which kept any part of her barrier around. Evan with that, she was running out of energy. That was why she needed the Holy Grail, the granter of wishes._

_A huge energy source. _

_That world could be destroyed. After all, there were hundreds out there. She could only go to a few due to the loss of power, but they could all be destroyed for her sake. _

_Of course, Caster's death had supplied her with quite a lot of prana. Just enough to make sure Rider did not interfere, in fact. Assassin truly was infuriating, orchestrating Blaze's death and Rider's survival. It was a shame the servant had to be kept alive- for now._

_So here she stood over a summoning circle, right arm extended. A catalyst was needed, of course, and one was supplied. An intricately carved white whistle lay in the center of the summoning circle. _

_Was this a desperate gamble? Of course, it was. All of this was a desperate gamble, even the very war. So she would bet all of her money on this. She needed to do this._

_The summoning complete, she looked at her servant happily._

"Hello, Lord of the Dawn." _Potentially more powerful than Caster, this man will be her key to success. _"Let us form a contract."

* * *

**Omake!  
**Hotaru hadn't told Assassin the full story of what happened that night when she met Caster. Of course, she hadn't intentionally left out something _useful, _though Assassin's opinion on that might differ.

Her sister's real, full name was Hakuno Kemika Ai. And Kemika (as they called her) was still alive.

Here, Hotaru was at fault. She knew of the name 'Akemi,' and Caster had said a girl with long, black hair was tracking Hotaru's sister. Assassin seemed to be this girl, so she didn't disclose any further information about this.

Hotaru had gone to get the frisbee, and she had met Caster. The servant had warned her of her family's demise, but when she brought the brunette to her family, Hotaru saw something wrong.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Caster appeared to be _absorbing _her mother and father.

Unsure if this was just a trick of the light, Hotaru could only watch, horrified, as the 'evil men' tore her sister apart with knives. The rest has already been told- she killed them and watched Kemika 'die.'

In other words, there were two changes in the account Hotaru gave Assassin. First, Hakuno's middle name. And second, she didn't fully trust Caster.

Now, Hotaru was with Rider, and hopefully safe. Unfortunately, when there's a Holy Grail War, nobody's ever really safe in Fuyuki. Especially in one such as this.

Hotaru stood in an alley, examining a lock of dark hair. In the fading light, the black might be mistaken as brown by another, but just by feeling the silky texture, Hotaru knew whom this lock belonged to. After all, the girl whom it belonged to had her hair brushed by Hotaru almost every night, and she loved the feeling of the inky black hair running over her rough hands.

"Kemika," she muttered.

* * *

Kemika hated her new haircut.

She had acquired a pair of scissors and had chopped off all of her beautiful, shiny locks, leaving a mess one could, at best, proclaim ugly. Her neck felt unusually bare without it, and for a moment she was in another person's body, thinking the same thought-

_She missed the covering over the nape of her neck… _

Kemika shook her head. What was that?

For some reason, she didn't want to turn herself into the authorities. She didn't know why this was, but somehow, that prospect seemed bleak. She would rather stay out here for-

_The remainder of the Holy Grail War._

Yes. That thing. Something odd was happening, and she had a big part in it, as far as she could tell. After all, there were the odd powers that suddenly flashed to life. She remembered cutting her hair in front of a half-shattered mirror, and the drama which ensued.

_Kemika stood in front of a mirror, a cold feeling against the back of her neck making her shiver. Black hair fell to the ground in pools, and she planned to pick it up later._

"_Hello," said a brunette casually as she walked by. For some reason, Kemika froze. This girl… her aura. The girl grimaced, and suddenly had a whip in one hand and nearly took Kemika off her feet._

"_H-huh?" asked Kemika, jumping to the side. The scissors clattered to the ground, and Kemika stiffened again. The girl raised her weapon again.  
_

"_I apologize, Homura," she said heavily and brought it down. Kemika screamed and then was stunned as everything froze. Whimpering, the girl gathered her possessions and ran._

That girl was important too. When she went into the _other girl's _body, she often saw the girl. 'Assassin,' she called her. A fitting name, at least, as far as Kemika knew of the girl. There was also 'Saber' and 'Rider.' And…

'Hotaru.' The girl Kemika had seen- the one who occupied her last memories.

Why was this important? It was because the girl Hotaru stood before Kemika now, a lock of black hair clutched in her fist.

"Kemika," murmured the other girl.

* * *

_(The final servant, the one whom will be known as Fake Rider, stood. He had a task to complete, after all.) _

* * *

**Finally! I got this chapter done, and there's a new servant summoned by Homura.**

**For anybody who wonders why she didn't originally summon him, it's because she didn't have enough energy and time. When Waver summoned Rider, she couldn't erase him, but she stole Caster's extra prana from her killings and used it to summon this servant.**

**Also, if anybody wants to see, here is a list of who the servants really are. Spoilers ahead!  
**

**Caster(deceased)(skill sheet released)- Rei, Magical Girl Site**

**Berserker(alive)(skill sheet released)- Sumi Washio/Togo Mimori, Yuki Yuna/Washio Sumi is a Hero**

**Assassin(alive)(skill sheet not yet released)- Riz Hawkwood, Puella Magi Tart Magica**

**Lancer(alive… for now)(skill sheet released)- Ox Ford, Soul Eater**

**Saber(alive)(skill sheet not yet released)- Ling Yao, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood**

**Rider(alive)(N/A)- Original Fate/Zero servant**

**Archer(alive)(skill sheet not yet released)- Emma, The Promised Neverland**

**Fake Rider(alive)(skill sheet not yet released)- ?, ?**


	8. Chapter 8

_Kayneth woke up- or rather, he did not wake up. He was still dreaming, but he was somewhere different, not the mind-numbing emptiness sleep usually brought._

'_Finally,' he thought. 'I get to see the origin of my servant.' As he looked around, he noticed a gawdy building behind him. Decorated with skulls and spikes (not to mention being perfectly symmetrical) it was easily the ugliest thing Kayneth had ever seen. _

_This was Lancer's school, Shibusen, or the DWMA. Death Weapons Meister Academy. The goal of every student was to create a death scythe, one of Death's chosen weapons, and Lancer- Ox- was no exception._

_Kayneth first saw Lancer as a dedicated student, trying to score at the top for the Ultimate Written Exam. His main contestant was the student Maka Albarn, a scythe meister who was just as smart as Ox. Ox studied hard, and when the day of the test came, he was ready and fired up._

_When the test results came out, Ox had suffered a narrow defeat, with Maka getting a 100 and Ox getting a 99. Kayneth almost felt sorry for the servant, but quickly remembered that he was a tool, and nothing more._

_Later, the kid Hiro pulled out the Holy Sword Excalibur from its stone and beat up Ox, along with some other kids- Black Star and Kilik. It really was fortunate that Hiro had to return the sword._

_When Ox searched for the sword to write a report on him, he was forced to be regaled with the sword's many adventures. But when Excalibur offered to be Ox's weapon, Ox said he already had one, and he was looking forward to seeing him again._

'_Oh, please,' thought Kayneth. 'Your feelings for your weapon are obvious.' Either way, his comment didn't matter much, considering how Ox pined for the pink haired witch, Kim. 'Your attempts at distracting yourself from true love are pitiful.' Plus, Kim and Jacqueline were also close! How could the idiot-_

_Kayneth realized he was dangerously close to thinking of Ox as anything other than a tool. He scowled and continued to watch._

_During the DWMA's dance, the evil witch Medusa attacked in a desperate attempt to revive the original kishin, Asura. Ox and Harvar were stuck in werewolf Free's Independent Cube. Isolated, the two were forced to wait and pray star students Death the Kid, Liz, Patty, Maka, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki succeeded._

_Though the students failed to prevent the rising of kishin Asura, Maka managed to free the swordsman Crona from his madness. Ox was wary of him but tried to make the boy feel welcome._

_While Arachnophobia and Asura rose, the pair had to work harder than ever to collect souls. However, it wasn't all battling evil. In the classroom, professor Stein (like Frankenstein, huh?) volunteered Maka, Soul, Ox, Harvar, and Black Star to try and attack him by working together. When the team failed, Stein reproached them, reminding them of the dark days ahead._

_After Lord Death found out about the location of Brew, Ox, Harvar, Kilik, Fire, Thunder, Jackie, Kim, Maka, Soul, Kid, Liz, Patty, Black Star, and Tsubaki were sent to get it while the DWMA would distract Arachnophobia. After Marie and Stein were lost within, Maka, Soul, Kid, Black Star, Liz, Patty, and Tsubaki went in after them and ended up in a battle with Arachne's henchman, Mosquito. Though they failed to gain Brew, they __**did **__rescue Marie and Stein. In the end, Kilik and Ox, who, along with Kim, had been holding back Arachnophobia's forces, had to enter the magnetic field in an attempt to save their friends from being torn apart by the magnetic field. _

_Back at the DWMA, all who had been on the Brew mission were feeling melancholy, as they had failed rather badly. A change of pace was created, however, when Medusa surrendered to the DWMA, but not before revealing Kim's closely guarded secret of being a takuni witch. Though she joined Arachne soon after, Ox vowed to save his crush._

_'Look at your weapon, you idiot,' thought Kayneth, before realizing he had stopped treating his servant as a tool again. Sighing noisily, Kayneth closely watched the rest of Ox's adventures. _

_The DWMA prepared to storm Baba Yaga castle, in which Arachnophobia was, and Ox, along with Harvar, were part of the mission. Once there, Ox worked to awaken Kim from the spell she was under, though at first, she didn't listen. However, eventually, she came around. Unfortunately, Jackie wouldn't listen to reason, and Harvar was forced to harm her in order to protect his clueless meister._

_The last thing Kayneth saw of Ox was him fighting on the moon, where the kishin was. As the meister watched Maka and Soul enter the kishin, something odd happened._

_Two pathways appeared before Kayneth. One was littered with black feathers, and the other with music notes. Kayneth felt drawn to the black feather path but forced himself to go down the musical path._

_Here, Soul and Maka destroyed the kishin, and Soul was the last death scythe since witches no longer were feuding with the DWMA._

_Then, Kayneth was sucked into another ending._

_Maka and Soul died, and Ox was killed by Kim._

_This... this was wrong._

_Wrong._

_Wrong._

_What was this?_

_'Kayneth,' said a voice. 'The end of this story... Ox died. They all died.' Kayneth shuddered but stayed still._

_'Lancer died,' he softly replied. 'I should... wake up.'_

_'Yes,' said the voice. 'Goodbye.' That tone of voice was almost condescending, and Kayneth hated it._

_'Ox died,' he thought. 'Yes...'_

_But somewhere, in some dark corner of his mind, Kayneth knew._

_He knew that Ox never died. _

_He knew Ox still had a life before him._

* * *

Kayneth actually woke up and breathed a sigh of relief at knowing more of his servant's life. So Ox was a meister at some school? Fine. That was great, actually. Ox wasn't the type to betray others. Kayneth was in the clear.

Lancer had recovered from Assassin and Berserker's attacks. Kayneth sluggishly dragged himself from the bed and composed himself. There was a clatter of pots and pans, and Kayneth entered the kitchen.

"Um- Don't look!" exclaimed Lancer. Kayneth ignored the servant and saw Sola-Ui with Harvar as they attempted to cook. Attempted being the keyword.

"Hello, Kayneth," said the red-haired woman courteously. "I planned to make you breakfast, and Lancer and Lance helped." She gestured to the scorched toast on a plate. "As you see, this did not end up well." Kayneth sighed but picked up another piece of bread.

"Would you like help?" he asked. Sola-Ui looked surprised for a moment, but quickly composed herself.

"O-of course!" she exclaimed. Kayneth put the bread in the toaster and started working on eggs.

Maybe his servant had influenced him, too.

Of course, the mess on Sola-Ui and Kayneth's plates proved that nobody there really was a good cook.

* * *

_Kariya appeared in a normal school, next to Berserker in her Sumi Washio form. Next to her was a sleeping blonde girl, who Sumi looked on at with disdain. This was Sonoko Nogi. After Sonoko woke up, brown-haired girl Gin Minowa entered the classroom late, in addition to forgetting all of her books and supplies._

_Soon after, the three girls squared off against their first vertex, Aquarius. Despite how powerful each girl was, they barely made it out alive. Kariya felt a twinge of sorrow at not being able to fully support Sumi._

_Unfortunately, this vertex was only the first of many to come. Sumi worked up the courage to ask Sonoko and Gin to be her friends, and the two gladly accepted._

_These normal school days… Kariya wanted to make this a possibility for Sakura._

_Their trainer/teacher Aki told Sonoko, Sumi, and Gin that they would have to work harder, and sent them to a training camp. Gin, Sonoko, and Sumi worked hard, but couldn't work well together. When they attempted to combine their powers to get Gin to a bus safely, they constantly let her get hit by the balls, standing in for vertexes. Sumi tried to shoot down as many as she could, but often missed one which hit Gin. Sonoko was also declared leader, much to Sumi's annoyance. Sonoko seemed to be irresponsible and foolish, while Sumi was obviously the responsible one. She quickly inferred that she was supposed to really lead, while Sonoko was officially leader due to the famous Nogi name._

_Eventually, the training camp ended when the trio succeeded, and they went back home. After Sonoko and Sumi spied on Gin, learning how helpful she was to all, and how that always made her late, the three joined up to eat udon. However, their peaceful lunch was disturbed by a vertex. Using their new cooperation skills, the three united to defeat the creature, but in the end, Sumi lamented at how she barely helped defeat the vertex and lamented how she had underestimated Sonoko, the one who strategized during the battle and realized what to do. Sonoko and Gin were supportive and helped Sumi realize it was okay to rely on others every now and then. _

_Kariya wondered if Sakura would ever be able to feel like that. Would she have friends with whom to play with? Somebody to make a vow with when she felt down?  
Deep down, Kariya knew in order to protect her happiness, he must do this. Life with the Matos would provide only sadness and none of the joy his servant felt in this moment. He would do anything to protect those smiles. _

_Due to their hard work, Aki gave Sumi, Sonoko, and Gin a break. They wouldn't have to go to school or battle, something all the girls enjoyed very much. Kariya enjoyed their various antics and even laughed sometimes. There was the time where they dressed up and Sumi was dissatisfied with how un-patriotic she was acting, as she had gone so far as to admit a Western dress was beautiful. Then there were Sonoko's weird dreams, the first of which starred idol!Sumi and idol!Gin who performed before an adoring crowd of Sancho dolls. Then, there was her second dream, where Sumi revealed herself to be Kokobou Kamen, a defender of patriotism, and Gin drummed and yelled "ROCK!" This dream, in fact, inspired them for the school orientation, during which Sumi and Sonoko dressed up as Kokobou Kamen and sang a patriotic song, which got the kids a bit __too_ _riled up, causing Aki to scold Gin, Sonoko, and Sumi._

_Once again, Kariya found himself thinking about Sakura. Would she be able to go to school orientation? Would she be able to go to school?  
_

_Never mind that. Sonoko had another dream where Aki told them they couldn't eat udon for a week Honestly, Kariya never found any appeal in udon, but different people have different tastes._

_Afterward, Sonoko received a love letter, Sumi received a note advising her to be less strict, Sumi wrote a patriotic novel about Japan inspired by Sonoko's writing success, and the break was over._

_Soon, there was a field trip, and Sonoko and Sumi advised Gim not to push herself to her utmost, and Gin promised to teach the others how to make yakisoba. While going back home, a vertex appeared, forcing them to fight, though Gin expressed annoyance and said she would have to do this quickly, as her little brothers at home eagerly awaited souvenirs from her. _

_In a twist of fate, the vertex quickly took out Sumi and Sonoko, leaving only Gin left. Faced with three vertexes, Gin walked off with a "see ya" to her friends, and displayed her fighting spirit. No matter how injured she was, no matter how many times her body was attacked, she continued and claimed the vertexes would never amount to humans, claiming it was their fighting spirit. _

_Sumi and Sonoko recovered after the last vertex was killed, and went to congratulate their friend. Seeing the back of Gin, they rushed up, only to soon realize she was dead and would never speak again. Sonoko and Sumi reminded her of Gin's promise to teach them to cook, of the souvenirs which she planned to give to her brother, but Gim just stood before them, so close yet out of reach._

_During Gin's funeral, Sumi and Sonoko were the last to say goodbye, giving her flowers to remember their dear friend by. Time stopped and Sumi defeated the vertex in a matter of minutes, taking out her rage on the creature. Aki found them and gave them a day off, which Sumi and Sonoko used to grow closer together. _

_At the same time, there was an unknown upgrade to the Hero system, giving Sumi and Sonoko access to fairies. When sent into battle against more vertexes, they eagerly test out the powers, going into Mankai form almost immediately._

_Kariya frowned. He remembered Sumi's mankai form and her battle with that girl, but what came next? In the real world, was he dying?_

_After killing the first vertex, the girls found that Sumi's legs had gone numb and Sonoko couldn't see out of her left eye. Unable to walk, Sumi still fought (or could she be called Togo at this point?) Once again, Sumi and Sonoko were forced into mankai, and when the Leo vertex's attack forced Sonoko out of mankai and she couldn't move her arm, she began to understand that there was a catch._

_After blocking an attack from the Leo vertex, Sumi asked Sonoko to take care of the last one before falling out of mankai form. Sonoko once again entered mankai form and revealed the vertex's soul, she ended up on the vertex's side of the Great Bridge. There, she learned that the vertexes constantly regenerate, and finds that her heart has stopped beating. She quickly returned to warn Sumi, who had forgotten all about Sonoko. Sonoko tied her ribbon around Sumi's wrist, telling her she would be back soon, and entered mankai several times in order to protect the girl, facing 21 vertexes._

_Later, Sumi woke up with a new name, Mimori Togo, in a hospital bed, and with Sonoko's ribbon around her wrist. With no memory, a girl named Yuki Yuna quickly befriended Togo, and the two became very close, especially after they joined the Hero Club. Soon, it was revealed that the Hero Club was just a cover for a recruitment center for Heroes, like what Sumi had been, and they were forced to fight another vertex. Out of fear and post-traumatic stress, Togo did not transform, but when the second vertex came, she did in order to protect Yuna. A month later, this was the normal routine, and they faced off against their fifth vertex, only to encounter Hero Miyoshi Karin, who single-handedly defeats it. Though she joined the Hero Club and the school, Karin was wary of being friends, but a surprise party for her birthday brought her closer to Togo and all of the others._

_Later, Inobouzaki Itsuki got nervous for her singing recital, only to discover a helpful note from her friends. She wracked up the courage to do her best while Fu contemplated the worst scenario. Then, the vertexes attacked._

_Facing five vertexes, the Hero Club was in danger when four evolved to become a super powerful vertex. Though all the Heroes were defeated, Fu went into mankai form, followed by Togo, to destroy a vertex. Next, Itsuki went mankai to defeat one getting dangerously close to the Shinju. Finally, Fu told the others to seal the combined vertex's soul, allowing Yuna, now in mankai, to fly up with Togo in order to destroy it. After doing so, Togo used the last of her power to create a flower shield to protect them until they re-entered Earth's atmosphere._

'_Those poor fools,' thought Kariya. None of them, except Togo, kind of, knew about the after-effects of mankai, though he supposed they would soon learn. 'Poor, poor fools.'_

_Togo soon learned that she could not hear in one ear, Yuna could not taste anything, Fu had lost vision in one eye, and Itsuki could not talk. Karin beat herself up about not having lost anything, but Yuna comforted her, and a touched Karin chose to stay in Sanshu Middle School until graduation._

_The Taisha gave the Hero Club a break after all their hard work, paying for an expensive trip to the beach, during which Togo wondered why she had her ribbon and who gave it to her, and worried that their battles are far from over._

_Back in the club room, Fu received a package containing their old cell phones and a message that their battles are not over. At that very instant, a vertex attacked, and before anybody could do anything, Yuna used her new powers to defeat it despite how many souls the vertex had. The Jukai disappeared, but Togo and Yuna found themselves standing at the edge of Sonoko's hospital bed. The blonde girl told them the effects of mankai never go away, shocking the two girls. Togo is also saddened as she felt she knew Sonoko, but cannot remember her. Yuna promised Togo she would sort this all out as they left the former Hero._

_Yuna and Togo told Fu the truth, but despite hearing how Itsuki has been suffering in school due to her missing voice, Fu remained in denial. However, when Togo proved Sonoko right be revealing the fairies stop them from dying, Fu became distressed and realized her little sister will never be able to live her dream of being an idol. She prepared to storm the Taisha headquarters but was stopped by Yuna, Karin, and Itsuki, the first two girls telling her they truly have no regrets joining the Hero Club. _

_Meanwhile, Togo realized everything in her life was arranged, from her standard of living to being situated near Yuna, a normal girl with a high potential to be a Hero. Distraught, she headed to Sonoko to find out the true nature of the world. The girl revealed the truth of the world outside, and Togo saw the world for the hell it was, where smaller vertexes form larger ones, meaning their battle will never be over._

_Not wanting her friends to suffer as Sonoko did, Togo destroyed part of the barrier, allowing the vertexes to enter the world. Learning Togo was the cause of the outbreak, Yuna and Karin chased after her, and also saw the truth. Before they could get Togo to listen to reason, the vertex forced the two girls to retreat. Because she lost the will to go on, Yuna was unable to transform, leaving Karin forced to go mankai multiple times in order to defeat the vertexes surrounding them. _

_Meanwhile, Fu and Itsuki were fighting a distraught Togo, who was set on destroying their world in order to protect her friends from further suffering. After they failed to stop her, Togo led the vertex toward the Shinju, planning for them to destroy the god. However, Yuna stood in her way, determined to save everyone and be a hero. _

_Eventually, Yuna convinced Togo to stop her rampage, and that they would always be together. Despite her doubts, Togo decided that as long as she lived in a world with Yuna, they could survive anything. All five girls teamed up to vanquish the final vertex, which was about to destroy the Shinju. Then-_

_Kariya, like Kayneth, found himself at a crossroads. He took the path lined with flower petals and saw the end of Sumi/Togo's adventure. _

_Yuna went into mankai a final time, destroying the vertex but rendering her comatose. Every day, a guilty Togo visited her, and all the girls began to recover from her afflictions, and because of that, Togo didn't give up hope. One day, the two girls were outside, and Yuna was called back by the sound of Togo crying. They were able to be together at last. _

'_That's wrong.' Kariya was drawn along the path against his will and came face to face with a beautiful black haired girl. Her violet eyes stared straight into his, and she seemed fearless. 'The truth…' Her voice echoed within Kariya's head, disorienting him, and all he could do was stare forward. 'Mimori Togo died alongside her friends while trying to destroy the vertex. All she wants to do is meet Yuna again.'_

'_Died…' repeated Kariya, his mind suddenly fuzzy and believing the girl completely. "My servant died.'_

'_Yes,' said the girl impatiently. 'Now wake up, there you go. Goodbye, Kariya Mato.'_

'_Goodbye,' the man replied, but he was no longer in the shadowy realm and the welcoming darkness was fading by the second._

* * *

Kariya bolted up from his slumber, sighing in relief when he saw Berserker's form next to him. The servant was bloody and bruised, but alive.

'_Wait,' _he suddenly thought, a wave of dread washing over him. He felt his body tense up, and he began to notice the sticky red substance around his left torso. A sharp pain invaded his senses, and Kariya's eyes were sharply drawn to his left arm.

Or rather, the empty space where Kariya's left arm should be.

"Ah," he said, because somehow he just couldn't amass enough energy to truly be horrified. "I should…" he trailed off, unsure of what to do. Slowly, he ripped off a strip of fabric from his already ragged hoodie and tied it around the wound. Berserker. Berserker would know what to do.

"Berserker," he called out, but the servant was motionless, her body seemingly lifeless. Kariya looked down at his right hand. "By the power of a command seal, I order thee to wake up and survive!" The servant's eyes snapped open, and she stood up by the spell's power.

"Kariya," she breathed. "Oh no." She picked up the man easily, despite him being much larger than her. "Where should I… where can I… we need…Kirei." Her eyes widened as she noticed the priest walking towards them. "We need… please don't… help…" She nearly fell as she took a step away, her body still weak after the attack, though she was slowly healing. She was obviously panicking, and Kirei sighed.

"I have no intention of harming your master," he retorted and stepped before the distraught servant. "I believe Mato has seen your past?"

"Yes," responded Kariya weakly, having no reason to resist.

"Good," said a voice. Assassin materialized beside Kirei. "You know, I was the one who told Emika to attack you, Berserker."

"You?" cried out the servant, readying her bow. "I-"

"If Mato has seen the Devil in his dream, I have no reason to kill you," stated Assassin calmly. "Before, you were an unstable variable. Now, we can team up." Kirei didn't seem to disagree and took Kariya from Berserker's suddenly limp arms. "Assassin will explain."

"Yes, I owe you that, at least." Assassin suddenly smiled. "Berserker. You died alongside Yuki Yuna, correct?"

"Yes…" responded Berserker unsurely.

"Wrong. That is a false image, one created by your contractor, Homura Akemi. You see…" Assassin took out her soul gem. "Do you truly want to know?" Berserker nodded, her eyes sure and confident. "Good. In my world, there were puella magi."

"Latin for a magical girl," murmured Berserker. "So?"

"There was a girl named Madoka, and a girl named Homura. The girl named Homura wanted to protect Madoka, so she traveled back in time over and over again to try and save her friend."

"Time traveling?" gasped Berserker. "That's-that's-"

"Yes," waved off Assassin. "Impossible, I know. Anyway, an alien named Kyubey contracted with girls to turn them into puella magi who fought witches in exchange for a single wish. And before you ask, I did contract, and no, I will not tell you my wish." Berserker closed her mouth. "Madoka's friends who contracted all died, until only Homura was left, and Walpurgis, the witch which always killed/forced Madoka to contract was coming. You see, all puella magi eventually turned into witches. Homura wanted to stop that. But in the end, she was just fighting fate." Assassin's fists tightened. "Every loop caused Madoka's potential to grow larger, at which point she had the potential to be a goddess. Homura began to lose hope, but Madoka wished to erase all witches. That's the end, right? Happily ever after." Berserker slowly nodded, agreeing. "But Kyubey- and Homura- had a plan. The incubators, the alien race which Kyubey belonged to, the Incubators, trapped Homura's soul gem within an isolation field, forcing Madoka to take a human form to save her."

"Oh," realized Berserker. "So, Madoka had no powers…"

"-but Homura found out the truth and planned to doom herself rather than let the Incubators enslave Madoka. However, Madoka's friends, Sayaka, Kyoko, Nagisa, and Mami, freed Homura and Madoka planned to take her up to Valhalla. Unfortunately for them, Homura stole Madoka's powers and became a Devil, all to save her friend."

"Oh," said Berserker, unsure of what else to do.

"Homura created a false world to keep Madoka in, but she began to run out of energy to power it. Then, she came across the Holy Grail." The sun dipped below the horizon, stretching out the two girl's shadows and causing the air to suddenly drop in temperature. "A huge source of energy. So, what should she do but use her remaining energy to summon heroes from different worlds, one who knew nothing about her or the Grail, to be her minions and fight for her?"

"But Rider is from this world, right?" asked Berserker, her face swathed in shadows.

"Yes," replied Assassin softly. "Homura… miscalculated. The original, planned Rider refused to be a part of her games and Homura couldn't stop him from being summoned. So she plans to kill him."

"Well," continued Berserker, "shouldn't we try to, you know, stop Homura? Maybe Rider could… I don't know." Assassin nodded.

"I have a plan," she explained, "but I'll need your cooperation. Are you in?"

"Definitely," said Berserker. "Okay, so what should we do?"

"Hello, fellow servants." A tall, cloaked man appeared behind them, his face covered with a black mask. "Do you know where I can find Rider?"

"Eh?"

"Who are you?" asked Assassin, readying her dagger, and transforming it into a spatha. Berserker, too, raised her gun and trained it on the servant.

"Fake Rider," answered the man. "Known as Lord of the Dawn, I am Bertrand, white whistle. You are Assassin, Riz Hawkwood, puella magi, and you, Berserker, Sumi Washio, Hero." Bertrand's mask remained the same. "So, servants, data on you will be most useful." A ray of light appeared in his mask. "So if you will not tell me Rider's location, I will be forced to collect data." A ray of light appeared from the mask, and Assassin barely dodged.

"Berserker!" called out Kariya from a distance. "If Assassin's story rings true-"

"The world of the abyss," stated the brunette. "Produced a very powerful servant." She dodged again. "Let us join arms for the first time, Berserker."

"Yes," said the servant of madness. "Let's go."

**Omake**

Kemika and Hotaru glared at each other, and Kemika felt a gun materialize in her hand. Not questioning it, she pointed the weapon at the other girl.

"Don't move," she warned. Hotaru pointed to the hook in her ear and the coin in her hand. "I know they don't work. Now go away." She raised the gun warningly, and her finger squeezed the trigger gently.

"I lied." Hotaru's eyes began to glow, and a diamond symbol appeared in them. "Kemika, do you remember me?" Kemika stiffened, and she accidentally shot a bullet into the wall beside Hotaru, the girl having barely dodged. "I'm your sister, and you have to come back." Kemika amassed her willpower and shot at her sister again. This time, Hotaru was only able to move enough so the bullet hit the side of her ear instead of her eye.

"I'm fine like this." Kemika aimed, and Hotaru only managed to create a shield with her coin in time for the bullet to reflect from it. But she was obviously getting tired, and the diamond symbol on her wrist was a quarter depleted.

"You know, you're just using up your lifespan." Kemika let another three bullets ricochet from the shield. "You could still leave." Hotaru next created a spear, and she slowly advanced.

"No!" shrieked the girl, and Kemika winced before letting more bullets fly, hoping to find a chink in Hotaru's defense. "I don't care if I'm using up my time; all of it is worthless without you!" Kemika's eyes widened, and for a moment, she stopped shooting. Was this a truth she wished for? Did she believe in Hotaru's hope for a true life?

Hotaru collapsed on the ground, convulsing as blood dropped onto the ground, an unfortunate side-effect of Caster's magic.

Kemika allowed herself to let go for a moment and imagined the life Hotaru saw. She wanted it badly. But at the same time, a voice told her this was impossible.

There was another future out there, one Hotaru was unknowingly aiming for. Kemika wouldn't exist there. Hotaru wouldn't even remember her dear sister who never existed. Perhaps… perhaps Kemika's goal was better.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, hugging her sister for the last time. This way, Hotaru and Kemika would both die. That was better than what Hotaru wanted, where she died and Kemika was sealed away in the body of Homura. She savored Hotaru's warmth, the feeling of another human. She folded Hotaru's fingers around the gun, so she held it in a loose grip. "I'm so, so sorry." Hotaru's eyes widened now, and as Kemika walked away, she feverishly called out.

"Kemika!" The brunette girl refused to turn around. "I- I'll shoot if you don't come back!"

"Okay." Kemika's clothes changed into those of Homura and Emika. "If you want." Riveluts of tears rolled down Hotaru's cheeks, and the brown-haired girl cursed herself for being so weak.

"I came to find you," she pleaded. "Please, Kemika." The black-haired's girl's hands tightened into fists.

"Shoot." Hotaru's finger was the one which tightened now. "Just know…" Kemika turned around to see her sister one last time, her face set in a snarl. "From now on, we are enemies!" Hotaru, taken-aback, stumbled backward, dropping the gun on the ground beside her. The stainless steel was covered with red now, and Hotaru managed to meet her sister's gaze fiercely.

"I'll be waiting for you when you come back," she said, and Kemika chuckled harshly as she left.

"I sincerely hope not," she muttered.

Back in the alley, Hotaru gasped as she stretched out a hand for the gun she dropped. Her fingers closed around the satisfyingly cold object, and she crawled to her feet. Slowly, ever slowly, she made her way back to Rider. Every step was painful, and her blood dripped down to the ground, meaning anybody could track her, but she didn't care. She needed to survive. She needed to survive-

"I need to be waiting for her," she murmured. "Kemika… I _will _be waiting for you."

* * *

_End of Hotura Ai Omake Arch._

_Beginning of Alternate Servant Arch._

"_I'll keep wishing for a world where you can be happy."_

* * *

**Now, here is the skill sheet for Assassin!**

* * *

Servant: Assassin

Master: Kotomine Kirei

Identity: Riz Hawkwood

Series: Puella Magi Tart/Madoka Magica

Sex: Female

Strength: A

Endurance: A+

Agility: A

Mana: A

Luck: B

Noble Phantasm: A++

Class Skills:

Presence Concealment- The capacity to hide one's presence as a servant.

B: Riz can fade from sight when concealing her presence, moving like a shadow and becoming extremely difficult to spot even when actively searched for. Servants will only be able to detect her at a third of the normal range.

Runic Script- A class skill unique to puella magi.

N/A: When Assassin's status is viewed through a Master's clairvoyance, all information is rendered in the runic script of the Incubators. Clairvoyance functions as normal otherwise, but unless the Master decodes the language the information shown in the clairvoyant visions will be useless to him.

Personal Skills:

Kunai- The power to transform weapons into another form.

A+: The four knife-like kunai daggers which hang from Riz's belt can be transformed into any weapon, with no limits. This skill allows for dexterity in battle, as she can transform them according to tactical advantage.

Shadow Manipulation- The ability to manipulate and/or travel through shadows.

A++++: Riz can control shadows nearby, travel through them, stay within a shadow, or bring somebody inside a shadow as well and stay and/or travel through it with them. However, she can only do this with human-sized shadows.

Military Tactics- Tactical knowledge used when many forces are deployed.

A: Riz has shown to be capable of being lucid while in battle, and is very good at strategizing.

Noble Phantasm(s):

Soul Gem: A: The crystallization of Servant's soul and proof of her contract as a Puella Magi. The Servant cannot die as long as her Soul Gem remains intact, and the Soul Gem is even capable of completely regenerating her Material Body should it be destroyed. Conversely, the Servant will die immediately if the Soul Gem is destroyed regardless of any injuries to her Material Body, and her Material Body cannot be operated unless it is within 100 meters of the Soul Gem. Use of magic, loss of sanity, and negative emotions taint the Soul Gem, and the Master must supply prana through the contract with the Servant to cleanse and replenish the Soul Gem. The Servant increasingly suffers from irrationality and negative emotions as the Soul Gem becomes more tainted, creating a dangerous feedback loop. Should the Soul Gem become thoroughly corrupted and blacken, the Soul Gem will shatter and the Servant will disappear.

Gates of Hell: A+++++: Riz's ultimate attack. She is able to open the gates of hell and drag another through it. The only way to make sure they stay inside, though, is to trap herself within as well, thus killing both parties. However, her soul gem will remain outside so only her physical body will be destroyed, though the only way to still do anything afterward is to utilize her third noble phantasm.

Blessing of the Spirit: A+: (Anti-unit): Only can be utilized after the Gates of Hell. Riz uses her soul gem to assist her allies and boost all of their powers, bringing each parameter (and skill/noble phantasm) up to EX. Afterward, she disappears from the world.


End file.
